Port de Banana

Port de Banana, an exhibition of work by Lio-Bravo Bumbakini, invites viewers to the small  coastal seaport of Banana, at the mouth of the Congo River, the symbolic first point of contact  between the western world and the Bantu Tribes inhabiting the region we know as the  Democratic Republic of Congo today. This mixed media exhibition tells Banana’s history  through a lucid dream-like metaphysical lens steeped in abstractions and surrealism. Bumbakini mixes vibrant colors, symbols and archetypes with tribal and traditional African  motifs and contemporary Western ideas. This exhibition explores the narratives of life before  and after the “discovery” of Congo from an anthropological and folkloric perspective. The artist  envisions the modern experience in swaths of folkloric imagery inspired by his Congolese  heritage, Belgian upbringing, and the two decades he’s spent across the USA in diaspora.

Runs: May 30 – August 10, 2025

Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Saturday: 9 am – 5 pm

Sunday: 11 am – 5 pm

Last entry at 4:30 pm