David Shongo

David Shongo is a composer and contemporary artist from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His practice focuses on and observes the interaction between sound and image, emphasizing the movements and poetic impact they generate together.

His work questions the impact of colonial fiction on the composition of both individual and collective memory, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. From this reflection, he deconstructs and reveals complex dynamics, both historical and political/economic, as well as the traumas and cultural dissonances that result. Shongo’s practice spans various mediums, including sound, cinema, digital collage, and visual art, creating immersive experiences that provoke dialogue on historical erasure, collective memory, and the contemporary repercussions of past injustices.

In parallel, he questions the notion of absence not as a void but as a political strategy aimed at silencing history and memory. A significant part of his artistic approach is also influenced by his personal family history, marked by the absence of a father who did not acknowledge him at birth.

Shongo has presented his works in numerous institutions and international festivals. In 2024, he participated in the 4th Bangkok Art Biennale (BAB2024: Nurture Gaia) with the project Suskewiet Visions, created in collaboration with Belgian artist Filip Van Dingenen. In 2023, he presented the project Interviews of Silence at the Venice Music Biennale.

His films have been shown at various international festivals. In 2023, his works were presented at Ars Electronica in Austria, the KIKK Festival in Namur, the Vues d’Afrique Festival in Montreal, and DOK Leipzig. In 2020, one of his films was screened at the Locarno Film Festival.

In addition to his artistic practice, Shongo has been invited as a guest lecturer to address themes of archives and memory. Institutions that have hosted him include the University of Abu Dhabi and the International Congress for the History of Art in Zurich.

Since 2021, Shongo has been the founder and artistic director of the Pianos de Kinshasa Festival. He is also a co-founder of Studio1960, an artistic and research platform that explores the intersections of art, technology, and community.