A painting of a Black man with a full beard wears a textured, light-coloured cap and a large, pleated white ruff collar, by Georges Senga. His expression is serious, and he stands against a stormy sky with a hint of ocean in the background, giving a historical portrait feel.

Georges Senga Residency

Georges Senga will be in residence at Studio Voltaire from April to June 2026.

Senga’s work serves as a form of reclamation, addressing the absence of visual documentation for people and places that have been obscured by the passage of time. Through his practice, he develops narratives rooted in history, memory, identity and heritage.

During his residency, Senga will create a new body of work that explores the intersections of sub-Saharan visual languages. His project will focus on two distinct traditions linked by a shared name: the Lamba.

As part of his research, Senga will study the British Museum’s collection of finely woven Malagasy textiles, particularly those from Arivonimamo, Madagascar. He is particularly interested in the geometric logic of these weaves, examining their multicoloured vertical stripes and solid bands as primary source material.

Senga will bring this archival research into conversation with his own photographic documentation of Kushiripa, an ephemeral mural painting culture created by Lamba women in the Makwacha village of his native Katanga province. By merging the structural patterns of the woven fabric with the narrative motifs of the mural paintings, he aims to design hybrid patterns that bridge these two distinct cultural heritages.

Through the synthesis of textile and mural, Senga continues to work at the intersection of history and memory, ensuring that the visual traces of the forgotten are brought back into view.

This residency is generously supported by The Defise Foundation.

Georges Senga (b.1983, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)), works between Lubumbashi, Maastricht in the Netherlands and Hvar in Croatia and is currently based in the Netherlands.
Senga has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions including United Nations, United States, 2020; Jean Cocteau Cultural Centre, Paris, France, 2020; Lubumbashi Biennale, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2019, 2015, 2013, 2010, 2008; Fotomuseum Antwerp, Belgium, 2019; Cargo in Context, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2019; Galerie Imane Farès, Paris, France, 2019; Wiels Art Centre, Brussels, Belgium, 2019; Fondation A, Brussels, Belgium, 2019; Kigali Photo Fest, Rwanda, 2019; Contour Biennale, Mechelen, Belgium, 2019; 22nd Biennial Sesc_Videobrasil, São Paulo, Brazil, 2019; Addis Fotofest, Ethiopia, 2018, 2014; Cape Town Art Fair, Cape Town, South Africa, 2018; Bamako Biennale, Mali, 2017, 2015, 2011; Kampala Biennale, Uganda, 2014; and Asbl Dialogues, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2013.
Previous residencies have included: Villa Medici, Italy, 2020; Jan van Eyck Academy, The Netherlands, 2018; Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, Germany, 2016; and WIELS, Belgium, Brussels, 2015.
1. Georges Senga, Makuta Njo Dunia, Portrait of Afonso Son of Garcia II before he was captured in Soyo by Daniel da Silva Ruler of Soyo from the House of Kwilu, 1645, 2025. Image courtesy of the artist.
2. Georges Senga, Makuta Njo Dunia, 2025. Installation view as part of Shapeshifters, at Framer Framed, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2025.
3. Georges Senga, How a pagan hunter became a Catholic priest, Installation view as part of Comment un petit chasseur païen devient Prêtre Catholique, Museo delle Civiltà, 2023. Image courtesy of the artist and Museo delle Civiltà. Photo Margherita Villani
4. Georges Senga, How a pagan hunter became a Catholic priest, Installation view as part of Comment un petit chasseur païen devient Prêtre Catholique, Museo delle Civiltà, 2023. Image courtesy of the artist and Museo delle Civiltà. Photo Margherita Villani