DRIVEN TO ABSTRACTION: Doudou Mbemba and Romeo Temwa

Urevbu Contemporary is pleased to present Driven to Abstraction, a duo exhibition featuring new paintings by Congolese artist Doudou Mbemba and Cameroonian artist Romeo Temwa. Doudou and Romeo’s very different painting styles illustrate the breadth of abstraction. While each artist is inspired by the personal details of his Central African upbringing, the humanity and contemporaneity that suffuse their paintings is transcendent. 

Doudou’s energetic paintings are a revelation in texture and color as he explores themes of identity and community, immigration and migration, technology and mechanization. In Doudou’s most recent work, he was inspired to rebuild the human form out of mechanical devices. He has an affinity for experimenting with different media on canvas, from the more traditional oil and acrylic paints rendered with brush and palette knife to playful paper collaging and mixed media. Depicting his subjects in textures that mimic metal, wood, and packaging materials, Doudou’s compositions evoke sensations of splintering and fracturing. 

Romeo’s abstract-figurative paintings explore the mechanisms of manipulation, especially through the lenses of the media and politics. Practicing with both acrylic paint and ink, Romeo’s works are a distinct combination of drawing and painting. His imaginative technique creates the signature distinctive silhouettes that shroud his subjects. Romeo’s paintings exhibit a fragmentation of form that reverberates with emotion. The pulsing elements of his compositions echoes his interest in interpersonal communication and the spread of information and misinformation in the digital age. 

Doudou lives and works in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. His paintings have been featured in solo and group exhibitions throughout Europe and Africa. Driven to Abstraction marks his debut in the United States. Romeo lives and works in Douala, Cameroon. His paintings have been shown in solo and group exhibitions in Europe, Africa, and the United States.