Portrait of Géraldine Tobe ©Studio Vanssay. Photo courtesy of AFIKARIS GalleryParis.

“I needed to go beyond brushes and traditional paint. The smoke is unpredictable, creating shapes that I cannot fully control and representing this connection between the material and the immaterial. Géraldine Tobé‘s words sum up his bold approach to art, where the elusive nature of smoke becomes a bridge between the physical and the spiritual. Her technique transcends conventional boundaries, allowing the unpredictable and ephemeral essence of smoke to reflect the deeper, intangible forces she seeks to explore through her work.

Born in KinshasaDemocratic Republic of Congo, Tobe transformed trauma into a deeply personal expression, using smoke as both a medium and a metaphor. Accused of witchcraft as a child and subjected to a violent exorcism, Tobe channels his personal suffering into powerful artworks that explore ancestral beliefs, colonial religion, and the collective pain of Congolese women, intertwining spiritual and historical narratives.

His technique of using oil lamp smoke is both symbolic and technically innovative. The ethereal shapes formed by the smoke embody a fragile balance between destruction and creation, representing trauma and memory in their fleeting presence. This approach has been praised for its emotional and symbolic depth.

Géraldine Tobe, ‘Vanity of vanity’, 2022. Smoke on canvas. 130 x 170 cm (51 x 67 inches). Photo courtesy of AFIKARIS GalleryParis.

Tobe’s work attracted particular attention during the Dakar Biennale 2018. He has also been the subject of personal exhibitions in Brussels, Kinshasaand Madagascar. In September 2024, his first solo exhibition in France – “In the smoke» (“In the smoke”) — took place at AFIKARIS Gallery. His most recent work will be part of the upcoming exhibition “THE Trhad Size of Africa” At Völklinger Hut in Germany, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

“Creating with fire may seem contradictory, but she had to destroy in order to recreate and find her very unique way of making art,” explains Michaëla Hadji-Minaglou, gallery director and lead curator at AFIKARIS in Paris. “She didn’t listen to those who told her to stick to painting. This is why his art is unique: the result of his perseverance and self-sacrifice.

In an interview with Global VoicesTobe spoke about the therapeutic power of art, his experiences growing up in Congo, and how his unique technique allows him to explore themes of resilience, memory, and healing.

Excerpts from the interview follow:

Omid Memarian (OM): You have spoken about how your childhood, marked by accusations of witchcraft and violent exorcism, shaped you. How have these experiences influenced your journey as an artist and how do they manifest in your work today?

Géraldine Tobé (GT): My childhood was indeed marked by painful moments. This trauma became central in my journey as an artist and a person because it pushed me to transform this pain into strength. My art has become a means of resilience and healing. These experiences manifest in my work through a mystical and spiritual approach to suffering. Smoke allows me to express what words cannot, functioning as a form of therapy and opening. When we create, we share the expression of our soul.

Géraldine Tobe, ‘Vanity of Vanity’, 2022. Smoke on canvas, 130 x 170 cm (51 x 67 in). Photo courtesy of AFIKARIS GalleryParis.

OM: Can you share your view on the current artistic scene in Congo?

GT: The Congolese artistic scene is booming. There is a wealth of creativity, with young artists challenging traditional stories and contemporary realities. International audiences must understand that Congolese artists do not limit themselves to depicting suffering or violence; they also explore themes of beauty, resistance and the complexity of identity. We have stories that go beyond clichés.

OM: There has been an increase in global exhibitions highlighting African artists. What is fueling this new interest in African art and what impact is it having on the stories shared?

GT: There is a growing awareness that African art has been underrepresented and undervalued for decades. The public and institutions now recognize the diversity and depth that African artists bring. This interest stems from the rediscovery of historical and contemporary narratives, with artists questioning colonial perspectives. This change is important because it allows marginalized voices to express their history and worldview.

View of Géraldine Tobe’s personal exhibition ‘Dans la fume’, Galerie AFIKARIS, Paris. September 2024. Photo: Studio Vanssay, courtesy of AFIKARIS GalleryParis

OM: Your work explores ancestral beliefs, colonial religion and personal suffering. How do your experiences influence the themes and emotional power of your art?

GT: As a Congolese woman, I carry a collective memory marked by colonization alongside deep spiritual beliefs from my culture. My work is decorated with symbols such as scarification marks, which in ancestral society carried teachings and represented the divine. My work addresses suffering but also focuses on healing. It is a tribute to the resilience of women and their ability to transform pain into strength. Ancestral beliefs inspire me to connect the past to the present, exploring the tensions between modernity and tradition.

OM: Do you find the process of creating art therapeutic?

GT: Absolutely. Creating art is therapy for me. The use of smoke, which I started in 2012, embodies both the ephemeral and the eternity. The smoke represents destruction and healing. Each work is like a ritual, allowing me to revisit and transform my traumas into something beautiful. This process helped me access emotions that I might not have understood without art.

OM: Your technique of painting with oil lamp smoke is unique. How did this concept come about and how do you approach it in terms of technique and symbolism?

GT: This technique comes from my quest for artistic freedom. I needed to go beyond traditional painting. Smoke is unpredictable and represents a link between the material and the immaterial. It symbolizes both destruction and rebirth, a metaphor for life. Technically, it requires patience and precision to guide the smoke while leaving room for spontaneity. Symbolically, smoke embodies memory, spirits and purification, all central themes of my work.

Géraldine Tobé. ‘Vanity of Vanity’, 2022. Smoke on canvas 170 x 130 cm (67×51 in). Photo courtesy of AFIKARIS GalleryParis.

OM: How has your work been received in Kinshasa and across Congo?

GT: Initially, my work sparked a lot of discussion, particularly because I explored sensitive themes like witchcraft, which is often taboo. Acceptance took time. However, exhibiting at the Kinshasa and Dakar Biennials opened up opportunities for him. My work arouses curiosity, mainly through the originality of the technique. It is seen as a challenge to traditional norms and offers new perspectives on our past and our future.

OM: How do you balance the message while ensuring the art remains the center of attention?

GT: I consider myself a committed artist rather than an activist. My goal is to provoke reflection and dialogue while raising awareness. I believe that art should above all be a visual and emotional experience. If a message is too explicit, it can lose its impact. Art should allow viewers to interpret it individually. This is why I leave some ambiguity in my work. I want to convey strong ideas, but I also want the viewer to find their own meaning.

View of Géraldine Tobe’s personal exhibition ‘Dans la fume’, Galerie AFIKARIS, Paris. September 2024. Photo: Studio Vanssay, courtesy of AFIKARIS GalleryParis

OM: What are you currently working on and how does this new body of work reflect your personal experiences or broader societal issues?

GT: I am currently in residence at Käte Hamburger Research Center at Saarland University in Germany, working on a project related to cultural practices of repair. This in collaboration with the Völklingen Museum for the next collective exhibition “The true size of Africa.” My project pays tribute to the deceased workers of the Völklinger Hütte factory by reviving their memory through smoke. This project is deeply personal as it reflects themes of recognition and forgetting. By linking the history of the factory to that of African peoples, I establish links between worker struggles and colonial suffering. The factory now symbolizes resilience and repair, themes that are dear to me.

OM: How do world news influence your creative process?

GT: I am very sensitive to what is happening in the world, to the problems of injustice and suffering. Artists absorb what is around them and world events inevitably impact my work. We live in times of great uncertainty, politically, environmentally and socially. My work reflects these tensions, capturing the energy of the times while providing a space for reflection and resistance.

Géraldine Tobe, ‘Kingdom of the Damned’, 2021. Smoke on canvas, 200 x 170 cm (79 x 67 in). Photo courtesy of AFIKARIS GalleryParis.