Jean Katambayi Mukendi
Artist residency

01.11-15.12.25

KW invites artist Jean Katambayi Mukendi (b. 1974, DRC) to live and work at the institution in Berlin for 6 weeks. During this period, he creates new work onsite for his upcoming show at KW, scheduled for 2026. The artist uses local sourced material, including from KW’s storage. Informed by research into mines and sites of energy production, Katambayi Mukendi’s practice addresses global structural inequities in resource extraction and power distribution.

The residency and exhibition begin a new series for KW, which prioritises local production, process and engagement. Artists are invited to live and work in Berlin — to exchange, make, and ultimately realize a site-specific exhibition. The process will be shared with our visitors, with moments of dialogue and exchange.

Artist Biography

Jean Katambayi Mukendi (b. 1974, DRC) lives and works in Lubumbashi, DRC. Trained as an electrician, his entire artistic practice is imbued with his fascination for mathematics, engineering, geometry, and technology. Katambayi Mukendi creates fragile and complex installations and drawings inspired by sophisticated electrical circuits and technological studies. Jean Katambayi Mukendi had solo exhibitions at Ramiken, New York, US (2023); and Kunsthalle Kohta, Helsinki, FI (2022); Wouters Gallery (2022), among others. Recent group shows include Energies at Swiss Institute, New York, US (2024); and You and I Don’t Live on the Same Planet at Centre Pompidou-Metz, Metz, FR (2021). In 2024, Jean Katambayi Mukendi’s work was presented at the Congolese Pavilion at the Venice Biennial and at Manifesta 15 Biennial in Barcelona. His work is currently on view as part of The Gatherers at MoMA PS1, New York, US, and The Geopolitics of Infrastructure. Contemporary Perspectives at M HKA, Antwerp, Belgium.

Jean Katambayi Mukendi; photo: Alain Nsenga.

The upcoming exhibition, co-produced by KW Institute for Contemporary Art and M HKA – Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp, is the first institutional solo show of Jean Katambayi Mukendi in Central Europe.