Recipient Information
Location
Lawrenceville, Georgia
Year of Award
2025
Grant or Fellowship
Southern Prize and State Fellowships
Grant Amount
$5,000
Masela Nkolo was born in Kinshasa, Congo, and graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts with a focus on large-scale sculpture. His multidisciplinary practice encompasses installation, sculpture, textiles, photography, sound, video, and performance. He deconstructs and reconstructs materials such as screwdrivers, oil lamps, and doors, creating totemic figures that reflect both his personal and collective experiences, offering a contemporary and syncretic reinterpretation of classical African art.
His work has been exhibited at notable venues including The African Diaspora Art Museum of Atlanta, Johnson Lowe Gallery (GA), The Mint Museum (NC), Atlanta Contemporary Museum (GA), Path Museum (GA), The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Artist Statement
My artistic practice is deeply shaped by my experiences growing up during the Congo Civil War, where survival and resilience defined my worldview. As a child, I often repaired oil lanterns for my community, which sparked my fascination with lanternes and their deeper meanings. These lanterns became my primary inspiration, leading me to reimagine them as symbolic creatures that represent human emotions, cultural histories, and collective memories.
I deconstruct and reconstruct everyday items like oil lanterns, doors, screwdrivers into creatures that embody both the historical and contemporary identities of Congo. My work reflects personal narratives and the collective spirit of my people, serving as a vehicle for memory, identity, and cultural expression. It honors and reinterprets the heritage of my homeland.
A significant influence on my practice comes from bakongo Bibaaku tradition, where metal objects such as nails activate Nkisi figures, sacred sculptures that protect and bind agreements. In my work, I repurpose screwdrivers, once used for defense during the rise of banditry in my city, into symbols of transformation. Just as nails empower Nkisi figures, welded screwdrivers activate healing, and empowerment.