CHERI SAMBA
La Chute du 3è baobab, 2006, acrylic and glitter on canvas, 300 x 497 cm. Photo: Maurice Aeschimann.
© the artist. Courtesy CAAC–Pigozzi Collection, Geneva
La Chute du 3è baobab (2006) warns of the arrogance of empire:
“The US leadership should put a little water in their wine. They seem to
think the whole world belongs to them, but other powers are emerging
in Asia, and it’s time to tone it down. I have visited America, and I like it Samba is proud of
a lot. I’m just calling for better management. If they don’t change their
policies, they’ll eventually be ridiculed, like the Soviet Union. (By the
way, if they want to lighten the load of all that wealth, the best place to his African identity
invest it is here in the Congo.)”
Les Tours de Babel dans le monde (1998) looks at the legacy
of colonialism: “Artificial countries – with arbitrary borders agreed by but he’s not
foreigners – can’t last forever. I’m afraid there could be a bloodbath
here, since nobody seems to settle things in a friendly way. Young
people should think about the struggle that may be ahead.”interested in being
Problème d’eau (2004) is a plea to meet a basic need: “It’s a
ridiculous problem. Why don’t the Americans help African governments
to put a water tap in every home? It might be expensive, but I wonder, categorised
how much are they spending on missions to find out if there is water
on Mars?”
Samba will also unveil two large new works in Venice. He hopes
they will cause a stir, but is anxious not to spoil the surprise. True to form,
he is more interested in popular appeal than critical opinion. “The artist
must stay free. How can anyone criticise somebody else’s inventions?
So, there’s a scoop for you: art critics shouldn’t exist!”
p109-126 Venice AR Jun07.indd 121 10/5/07 03:13:49
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