The Bearing Witness: Echoes of Survival exhibition by Congolese artist Lango Kabhula showcases striking figurative and portraiture paintings depicting the harsh realities of workers in cobalt mining sites in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The exhibition, which opened this past weekend at Under the Tree Restaurant, captures scenes of extreme fatigue, child labour, dehumanisation, and a lingering sense of hope.
Lango’s medium, sand mixed with acrylic paints, produces a coarse yet glossy texture that lends a rawness to the artwork. For the artist, sand is more than a material; it is a memory.
He explains that sand, as a naturally available element, connects him to generations past. He began forming sand artworks as a child for fun, a stark contrast to the heavy themes of war, colonial violence, forced labour, resource extraction, exploitation, systemic oppression, and human endurance that he now confronts using the same material.
His works explore two parallel worlds: the suffering of exploited labourers and the dream of a better future.
“It shows what the past has been, the realities today, and what we hope the future will become. There are those who look for a better future elsewhere and those who stay,” says Lango.
The artist also seeks to raise awareness around cobalt, a mineral critical in the manufacture of phones and electric vehicles.
“Many people don’t know that Congo is the only producer of cobalt in the world used in phones and vehicles. The workers mine without tools and get paid too little,” he adds.
In the piece Mavumo Kulazimishwa, Lango portrays men extracting latex from trees under inhumane conditions. Some paintings feature green skies, an intentional use of contrasting colours within a single artwork.
The exhibition is curated by Linda Chao Mbugua of Sena Art Gallery, who commends Lango for incorporating elements of hope amidst the stark depictions of suffering.
“This iteration re-centres the artist’s profound exploration of memory, sacrifice, and human endurance, while shifting the curatorial lens toward the act of collective remembrance and the potency of visual testimony in shaping new futures,” says Linda.
She also draws parallels between the exploitation depicted in Lango’s work and the socio-economic injustices present in Kenya.
“Here, the frozen yet defiantly human faces are not only relics of the past but also mirrors through which Kenyan audiences might confront contemporary struggles around extractive economies, social inequities, and generational trauma,” she says.
Linda challenges viewers to reflect on the injustices they may be ignoring, and to become part of the message of hope.
The Bearing Witness: Echoes of Survival exhibition runs at Under the Tree Restaurant until July 31.