LANDOLPHIA OWARIENSIS: A CHARIOT OF FIRE (2026)
IN DEVELOPMENT
LANDOLPHIA OWARIENSIS / WHITE RUBBER VINE / THE CONGO RUBBER PLANT
Botanical illustration: Matilda Smith (died 1926) - New York Public Library, from Liberia by Sir Harry Johnston ; with an appendix on the flora of Liberia by Dr. Otto Stapf
THEORETICAL MODEL IN DEVELOPMENT
John Cobra revisits the myth of the blacksmith king in The Kingdom of Congo (15th century), combining metals with Congolese rubber as mediums of transformation and adopting his 'Trans-Architectural' perspective to achieve radical social, cultural and biological fluidity. African kings, warriors, farmers, and other users of the blacksmiths’ art extolled the smiths’ mastery as transformers. Formers of realms.
Gunst’s new realms are rooted in ancient and contemporary Congolese traditions of gender ambiguity among monarchs like the Luba kings, political leaders and their male subjects. The essence of a king is a woman.
_PROJECT LION PHASE VI ACT I
_Landolphia Owariensis: A Chariot Of Fire (2026)
_digital casting & social forging
_material extraction and conditioning
in Langkawi (Malaysia) & (Ghent) Belgium
_brass, metal print & silicone/rubber
_1640 × 2360mm
#afropeanartists #africanheritage #decolonisation #conceptualart #artinstallation
