Lot 340 N

Mabunda presents figures created from decommissioned recovered weaponry and military equipment - leftovers from the country's 16-year-long civil war. The works serve a practical purpose: to remove weapons from circulation and render them inoperable. “The work - says Mabunda - is trying to represent each [person] who died with this same material.” [...] “If we destroy the weapons, the same weapon's not going to kill any more”. (Tim Hume, “Artist creates objects of beauty from instruments of death”, CNN Africa, 22 March 2012)
The sculptures hold an intrinsic contrast: on one hand they are whimsical and full of joy, on the other hand they evoke a sense of ferocity and sadness. This very dissonance explains Mabunda's language: remembering the victims of this tragedy with a hopeful and almost naive touch, which delivers to its audience a very strong message of life and peace.