Mulongoy Pili Pili

Biography

Pili Pili Mulongoy

(1914-2007)

(1914, Kongolo, the former Belgian Congo, 2007, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo)

Pili Pili Mulongoy was born around 1914 in a family of fishermen in Ngolo, in the province of Katanga, in the former Belgian Congo.

In 1947 he succeeded in entering the young "Indigenous Native Art Academy", the official name of the Hangar Workshop, created by former officer Pierre Romain-Desfossés.

Having grown closer to the nature and  to the traditional world, in each of his oeuvres he tells a story of a real work, mixed with the imaginary of ancient legends and tales. Each scene is executed with meticulousness, emphasizing the movements by the application of  thin touches of bright colors. This dreamlike, refined and colorful vision of the world quickly attracts attention to his work.

Like his friend Mwenze Kibwanga, he would become very close to Romain-Desfossés. Upon his death, Pili Pili joined the Academy of Fine Arts in Lubumbashi as a teacher.

He died in 2007 in Kinshasa. His works now belong to the collections of international museums.