For the 9th edition of the AKAA Fair, to be held at the Carreau du Temple in Paris from 18 to 20 October 2024, Angalia will be exhibiting a duo show of young artists who are renewing the Congolese art scene: Ngule Freeman and Eli Made. Aged 25 and 20 respectively and both self-taught, they share a common interest in exploring the symbolic and psychological dimensions of portraiture.

Ngule Freeman excels in hyperrealism, a genre that until now has had no renowned artists in the Congo. His success at AKAA in 2022 confirmed the interest of the public and collectors in both his drawing talent and his social subjects. His works, mainly portraits, reflect the state of Congolese society, particularly its youth, and individual feelings.

Eli Made’s main subject is very similar. He explores portraiture as an expression of psychological states. Eli has developed a rare technique of ‘painting’ with bleach on black fabric, a process that gives rise to his characters from the discolouration of the background. Her subtle portraits, emerging from an atmosphere of elegant chiaroscuro, are unsettling in their maturity.

Collector preview and vernissage on Thursday 17 October (by invitation).

Carreau du Temple
4 rue Eugène Spuller, 75003 Paris