A few words about your artistic journey

I am from Goma where I attended the Yole Africa cultural center for years. This is where I participated in many photo and film workshops. My photos were notably exhibited as part of “Transcend” in Nottingham and New York in 2018.

How long have you been an artist?

I concretely started my artistic life with dance when I was 14 years old in 2011.

Why did you apply for this grant? How will the grant support you?

This grant is a bubble that will allow me to devote myself entirely to this project during the months of July and August. I will have the means to move around in the most remote municipalities and I will be able to buy a license for free photography.

What are your concrete artistic objectives after this residency?

After this residency, I would like to create a photo studio in Kinshasa and pursue photography and video, both artistic and commercial.

What did you achieve during this creative residency? What is the result (created work)? Who was involved in the creation process?

During the creative process, I have been able to make a series of 24 photos, including 3 instant photos and 21 composite photos. They aim to raise awareness about the reality of COVID-19 around the world and particularly in my country.

How do you think these activities contribute to a reflection on today’s world, in relation to the COVID-19 crisis, and/or on the shaping of the future?

COVID-19 is an important topic for reflection. It is important to relay reliable information and to verify the facts by consulting reliable sources of information.
My photography project during the "Creativity is life" residency provides real information, help and expertise in my field of activity in representation and other areas.

How did you feel during the residency? And at the end of it?

During this residency, I was deeply touched by the devastation that the coronavirus (COVID-19) has brought to the African society.

I was able, given my artistic abilities, to achieve 80% of my works, especially because of the difficulties encountered in my city of Kinshasa in the DRC: a universe where there is no freedom of expression. I was warned several times by the Congolese police while I was taking instant photos in the street, despite the filming authorization provided by the Kinshasa city hall that I was holding.

I am proud and satisfied with the final result that the "Creativity Is Life" grant allowed me to achieve.

Discover the description of Abedi Mohamed Jumping’s artwork