6/29/2023 0 Comments Conversa instituto![]() A test to the acceptance and actual legitimisation of Samson as a British citizen, but one whose heart remains Malawian. A statue to be cherished and admired, not one to be taken down. ![]() ![]() A work that was made before George Floyd’s death and the impact it would have on the world. The sentiment arose far before its materialisation. In his sculpture, Samson elevates the black man-the same man who appears to be of a similar size and build than that of the white man that stands beside him in the picture. Chorley is depicted in a more naturalistic scale, thus appearing quite smaller than his friend. Chilembwe’s figure is exaggerated, so to say, in order to highlight the black man, the African. The two men, one black and one white, one African and one European, are no longer side by side, facing the photographer rather, they have their backs turned to each other, forcing the observer to circle the statue and surprising them by its disproportionality. The most obvious differences between the photograph and the sculpture (which was one of the winners of Fourth Plinth, in Trafalgar Square) pertain to proportion and placement. At that time, it was illegal for Africans to wear a hat in the presence of a white man.” However, the photo that served as reference for Kambalu’s sculpture Antelope (the English word for Chilembwe) depicts exactly that: Chilembwe standing next to John Chorley, a European missionary. Kambalu tells us: “This photograph of John Chilembwe was taken a few months prior to his death, still in 1914. The turning point that precipitated the insurgence, led by Chilembwe, against the colonial system was the conscription of Malawians into the fight of the British Empire against the Tanzanians, who fought for their German colonisers, during the First World War. ![]() The visit begins with Kambalu expressing his deep admiration for the controversial Malawian hero John Chilembwe, a pastor and politician who died in 1915 and who was responsible for the first Malawian uprising, which failed. To simply accept a gift-that is, to really form a bond. Who can receive and who can give, who loses and who wins? Masks aid this process they allow for exchanges that are free from obligations, they mediate. The gift as debt, as something which distances instead of bringing together. Or at an art opening, where people eat and drink without the burden of a tab to split or someone to thank, as would happen in a bar. Some examples of gifts are religious donations to love one’s neighbour directly can lead to feelings of rage and humiliation, so the offerings are given to the church, which then distributes them. Samson comments on the idea of exchange in religion, and one cannot help but think about the first contacts between colonisers and the people they exploited until the exchange became too unbalanced and unquantifiable. To thank is to acknowledge the gift, when the purpose is not to perceive it as such. I learn that it is considered rude to thank someone for a gift in Malawi. As artists or poets, we must create and share while avoiding the vulgarisation of our gift. Kambalu believes it is important for the giver to be effective and subtle, so that the recipient remains unaware that something is being offered to them-which he compares to the effects of reading Nietzsche. Indeed, he sees his artwork as a gift, and that is where the problematisation of the act of giving begins. Some days before, I had attended his talk on the subject of gift, which is always present in his work. I was lucky to do so in the context of Samson Kambalu’s Fracture Empire, curated by Bruno Marchand, on view at Culturgest until 6 February. It is a rare privilege to visit an exhibition with the artist himself (who is also a professor) as your guide, listening to him candidly talk about his work and motivations.
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