Young artists who are the children of well-known artists face a sometimes subconscious dilemma: follow the family artistic tradition, or break away in order to become creatives in their own right. At one time or another, many experience this tension between continuity and separation.

The exhibition showcases four families of artists from DR Congo.

Moke fils (1968), who, as his name indicates, is the son of the famous Moke (1950-2001), has opted to totally adhere to his father’s style. He did not attend art school, and therefore solely trained in the family studio, meaning that he paints like his father did. The exhibition showcases two of his works – including Moke fils peint Moke père – flanking an old painting by his father.

Raymond Tsham (1963), the famous ballpoint pen artist, has two children who have chosen art as a career, including 18-year-old Hilaire. While utilising his father’s technique and drawing on his artistic universe contrasting symbols from African tribal art with global icons of contemporary art, the young man is developing a style that is heavily influenced by the world of manga.

The Bodo siblings are two sons with contrasting career paths: the eldest, Bodo fils (1974), directly utilises the dazzling surrealism of his father, Pierre Bodo (1953-2015), while the youngest, Amani Bodo (1988), has a more narrative approach, particularly focusing on Africa’s and DR Congo’s place in the world. His work Héritage Bodo depicts him in front of one of the creatures that populate his father’s paintings.

Finally, a family of photographers provides a very different scenario. Gaston Diakota is a studio and field photographer, taking portrait commissions, while Gosette Lubondo (1993) is an artist who uses photography. Gosette has opted to depict the past, bear witness on behalf of her forebears, and capture the marks that they have left behind, in her emblematic Imaginary Trip series, in this way exploring the concept of inheritance.