The Gervanne & Matthias Leridon Collection is pleased to announce the loan of the work Matonge–Brussels, Porte de Namur! Porte de l’Amour? (2006) by artist Chéri Samba for the exhibition Eine Stadt als Atelier, on view at the Kölnischer Kunstverein in Cologne from May 22 to July 17, 2026.
Created in 2006, this acrylic painting on canvas fully captures Chéri Samba’s narrative world. In it, the artist depicts a bustling scene of daily life in the heart of the Matonge neighborhood in Brussels, an iconic hub of the Congolese diaspora. Conversations, music, dance, and scenes of daily life make up this vibrant work, inspired by the famous monumental mural installed in 2002 at the entrance to the neighborhood.
Through this composition, Chéri Samba offers a perspective that is both critical and humorous on the historical and cultural ties between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Belgium.
The exhibition Eine Stadt als Atelier explores the relationship between artistic creation and urban space, examining the city as a place of memory, exchange, and representation. In this context, Chéri Samba’s work resonates with the social and cultural issues that shape contemporary spaces.