Photo: Demian Bern

Mukenge/Schellhammer

Mukenge/Schellhammer consists of Christ Mukenge (*1988) and Lydia Schellhammer (*1992). The duo lives and works between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Germany.

Their work is influenced by various Congolese and Western painting traditions as well as contemporary popular culture. By co-signing their works Mukenge/Schellhanner blur common classifications of authorship, geographical origin, and gender. The duo has become an independent being with its own formal specificities and distinct aesthetic, a double-headed monster, shaped and deformed by the conditions of our present. Mukenge/Schellhammer expands its painterly approach across various media, including work with virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) and performance. The result is an interweaving of painterly, digital, and tangible spaces.

Mukenke/Schellhammer’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. In 2021/22, the duo received a scholarship from the Akademie Schloss Solitude, and in 2023 a scholarship from the Arts Foundation Baden-Württemberg.
www.mukengeschellhammer.com