After graduating at the Royal Academy in The Hague in 2014, Lola Keyezua returned to Luanda, where she lived from 2015 to 2019. This offered her the opportunity to research black identity and the black body. The artist has explored several media through the years, such as sculptures, photography, painting and installations in a series of artworks which carefully exhibited Keyezua's emotions and influences inspired by life in Angola/Africa. The female body continues to be the start of her creative process as a source of inspiration, seeking to portrait pain and her very own version of a female revolution.
Due to a lack of libraries and art books in Angola, during the economic crisis in 2015 the artist started to use humans and their stories as her source of information, inspiration and research. Her research was done in slums and dangerous places to be confronted by poverty, better understand poverty and to hear the voice of the people without fear. Other practices explored by the artist are video art, installations and performances.
‘A storyteller using art as a communication tool that manages to tell more than my words will ever do. Art provokes, educates and empowers without pity. It is a powerful tool and it is in the hands of this generation to create value for our government, organizations and foundations to put artists as an integral component to the further development of culture, economics, feminism, and individual development in Africa. What makes me uncomfortable in our society is what helps me create an artwork that deserves to exist as I follow the revolution that happens in my mind when I am not satisfied with a situation that affects human rights.’
Due to a lack of libraries and art books in Angola, during the economic crisis in 2015 the artist started to use humans and their stories as her source of information, inspiration and research. Her research was done in slums and dangerous places to be confronted by poverty, better understand poverty and to hear the voice of the people without fear. Other practices explored by the artist are video art, installations and performances.
‘A storyteller using art as a communication tool that manages to tell more than my words will ever do. Art provokes, educates and empowers without pity. It is a powerful tool and it is in the hands of this generation to create value for our government, organizations and foundations to put artists as an integral component to the further development of culture, economics, feminism, and individual development in Africa. What makes me uncomfortable in our society is what helps me create an artwork that deserves to exist as I follow the revolution that happens in my mind when I am not satisfied with a situation that affects human rights.’
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Artworks by Lola Keyezua
Media
Lola Keyezua
Beautiful People Know
Is a video installation exhibiting a young woman that slowly combs and braids her hair as a ritual to explore her identity and protect her natural hair due a long hair care ritual.
She sews book pages to her hair and tries to protect them by hiding it in a braided hairstyle while the book pages of wisdom and awareness are crushed into small hair buns. Her hair care is slow and requires patience from the viewer to connect to the fear of not being accepted in our society, with the feeling of resistance, with the feeling of hair as a political act and with the feeling of hair as the root of identity, BLACK IDENTITY.
Beautiful people know …
The audio is from a 70´s hair commercial from Afro Sheen. Online posted as “Afro Sheen Ad 4″
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Lola Keyezua, born in 1988, in Luanda, Angola, currently lives and works in Manila, The Philippines. The artist graduated from the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague in 2014. One month after her graduation her robotic installation FACTICIUS was shown during the Museumnacht Den Haag in 2014 at the Dutch Parliament. By the end of 2014 Lola moved to Berlin, in May 2015 she moved back to the country where she was born, Angola and stayed there for 5 years.
Since 2015, Keyezua has been exhibiting in solo and group exhibitions in the United States, France, The Netherlands, Portugal, United Arab Emirates, Mali, Nigeria, Italy, Angola, New York, Miami, Amsterdam, The Hague, Paris, Breda, Lisbon, Dublin, Barcelona, Bamako, Lagos, Rome, Luanda, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Africa. Those exhibitions include: Aida Muluneh-Homebound: A Journey in Photography at Sharjah Art Museum in Sharjah in 2020, NOW LOOK HERE. THE AFRICAN ART OF APPEARANCE in Amsterdam in 2020, Modest Fashion in Stedelijk Museum Schiedam in 2019 and Summer Show at Blank Projects in Cape Town 2017. Galerie Bart is introducing her work in The Great Photography Special 2020.
Since 2015, Keyezua has been exhibiting in solo and group exhibitions in the United States, France, The Netherlands, Portugal, United Arab Emirates, Mali, Nigeria, Italy, Angola, New York, Miami, Amsterdam, The Hague, Paris, Breda, Lisbon, Dublin, Barcelona, Bamako, Lagos, Rome, Luanda, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Africa. Those exhibitions include: Aida Muluneh-Homebound: A Journey in Photography at Sharjah Art Museum in Sharjah in 2020, NOW LOOK HERE. THE AFRICAN ART OF APPEARANCE in Amsterdam in 2020, Modest Fashion in Stedelijk Museum Schiedam in 2019 and Summer Show at Blank Projects in Cape Town 2017. Galerie Bart is introducing her work in The Great Photography Special 2020.
CV
Lola Keyezua.
curriculum vitae
Born in 1988, Luanda,AO, currently lives and works in Manila, PH.
Education.
2014 • BA Interactive Media and Design at Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague, NL.
Exhibitions.
2021•
The Power of My Hands– Africa(s) : Women Artists group exhibition at Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris, Paris, France.
2020•
Arco Madrid group exhibition at Arco Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Now Look Here: The African Art Of Appearance group exhibition at Asterweg 17, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Aida Muluneh-Homebound: A journey in photography group exhibition, at Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. (virtual due to the pandemic)
Fuckin’ Globo 2020: In the discomfort zone group exhibition, at Hotel Globo, Luanda, Angola.
2019•
MOMENTA I Biennale de l’image group exhibition at various venues in Montréal, Canada.
N’GOLA Biennial of Arts and Culture group exhibition at at the CACAU arts space, São Tomé e Principe.
Certainties are suspended photographic positions group exhibition at Institute Français, Germany.
Modest fashion group exhibition at Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, The Netherlands.
AKAA Art & Design Fair 2019 group exhibition at MOV’ART Gallery, Paris, France.
2018•
ARTAFRICA (CEC-FLUL) / BUALA / PANTALASSA / APA group exhibition at various venues in Lisbon, Portugal.
Addis Foto Fest (AFF) group exhibition at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair group exhibition at Somerset House, London, England.
UNSEEN Amsterdam group exhibition at Studio Westergas, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
BredaPhoto Festival group exhibition at BredaPhoto, Breda, The Netherlands.
Private Exhibition: Day Of Africa private exhibition at Facebook Headquarters, Dublin, Ireland.
Afrotopia group exhibition at Afrikamuseum, Berg en Dal, The Netherlands.
Unfriendly/Unfollow group exhibition at Gallery: cool ain’t cool anymore, Lisbon, Portugal.
Nataal New African Photography III group exhibition at Red Hook Labs, New York, USA.
Refraction : new photography of Africa and its diaspora group exhibition at Steven Kasher Gallery, New York, USA.
AIPAD – The photography Show group exhibition at Steven Kasher Gallery, New York, USA.
Afrotopia – Bamako encounters 11th edition group exhibition at Afrika Museum, Berg en Dal, The Netherlands.
Stories by peacock for art group exhibition at Business for Africa and the world forum, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
ICTAF – SOLO group exhibition at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town, South Africa.
London Art Fair solo exhibition at the Business Design Centre, London, England.
2017•
SCOPE Miami Beach group exhibition at Beach Pavilion 801, Miami Beach, United States.
FNB Joburg Art Fair group exhibition at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Fuckin’ Globo group exhibition at Hotel Globo, Luanda, Angola.
17 group show at Blank Projects Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa.
Efeito Suruba group exhibition at FEMAFRO, Lisbon, Portugal.
Afrotopia – Bamako encounters 11th edition group exhibition at The National Museum of Mali, Bamako, Mali.
Being Her(e) group exhibition at the Gallery of the Banco Económico, Luanda, Angola.
Lagos Photo Festival solo exhibition, Lagos, Nigeria.
Luuanda group exhibition at Hangar, Lisbon, Portugal.
The Core Projects group exhibition at Rua Red Art Centre, Dublin, Ireland.
FCAAAL – Where Future Beats group exhibition at Studio 63, Milano, Italia.
European Union in Angola group exhibition at the Portuguese Cultural Centre, Portuguese Embassy, Luanda Angola.
2016•
Fuckin’ Globo group exhibition at Hotel Globo, Luanda, Angola.
Addis Foto Fest solo exhibition at Sheraton Addis, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Lagos Photo Festival solo exhibition, Lagos, Nigeria.
Afro Vibes Festival – Fierce Now group exhibition, MC Theater, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Coisas de Mulher group exhibition at the Portuguese Cultural Centre, Portuguese Embassy, Luanda Angola.
Conexões Femininas group exhibition at the Gallery of the Banco Económico, Luanda, Angola.
2015•
The Opening group exhibition at the MOVART Gallery, Luanda, Angola.
Elas Expõem group exhibition at the Memorial Dr. António Agostinho Neto, Luanda, Angola.
Rostos da Paz group exhibition at the Banco Angolano de Investimentos, Luanda, Angola.
Lagos Photo Festival group exhibition, Lagos, Angola.
Bleeding Edge – Afro Vibes Festival at MC Theater, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Vidrul Photography solo exhibition at UNAP, Luanda, Angola.
Something about Bodies group exhibition at Red Gallery, London, England.
2014•
Innocent Exiles group exhibition at EXO, The Hague, The Netherlands.
In Bed with Hair group exhibition, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Fearless Renewal – Afro Vibes Festival group exhibition at MC Theater, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
New Steps group exhibition at Haagse Kunstkring, The Hague, The Netherlands.
Museum Night group exhibition at Dutch Parliament, The Hague, The Netherlands.
Publicity.
2020•Ekow Eshun, Africa State of Mind: Contemporary Photography reimagines a Continent, Thames & Hudson Publishers.
2018•N. Bancel, P. Blanchard, G. Boetsch, C. Taraud, D. Thomas, Sex & Colonies, La Découverte Publishers.
2018•Atlantica: Contemporary Art from Angola and its Diaspora, HANGAR Publishers.
Other activities.
2015• Participated in EMIC: The Interstellar Time Capsule Movie from Google Play, USA.
curriculum vitae
Born in 1988, Luanda,AO, currently lives and works in Manila, PH.
Education.
2014 • BA Interactive Media and Design at Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague, NL.
Exhibitions.
2021•
The Power of My Hands– Africa(s) : Women Artists group exhibition at Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris, Paris, France.
2020•
Arco Madrid group exhibition at Arco Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Now Look Here: The African Art Of Appearance group exhibition at Asterweg 17, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Aida Muluneh-Homebound: A journey in photography group exhibition, at Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. (virtual due to the pandemic)
Fuckin’ Globo 2020: In the discomfort zone group exhibition, at Hotel Globo, Luanda, Angola.
2019•
MOMENTA I Biennale de l’image group exhibition at various venues in Montréal, Canada.
N’GOLA Biennial of Arts and Culture group exhibition at at the CACAU arts space, São Tomé e Principe.
Certainties are suspended photographic positions group exhibition at Institute Français, Germany.
Modest fashion group exhibition at Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, The Netherlands.
AKAA Art & Design Fair 2019 group exhibition at MOV’ART Gallery, Paris, France.
2018•
ARTAFRICA (CEC-FLUL) / BUALA / PANTALASSA / APA group exhibition at various venues in Lisbon, Portugal.
Addis Foto Fest (AFF) group exhibition at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair group exhibition at Somerset House, London, England.
UNSEEN Amsterdam group exhibition at Studio Westergas, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
BredaPhoto Festival group exhibition at BredaPhoto, Breda, The Netherlands.
Private Exhibition: Day Of Africa private exhibition at Facebook Headquarters, Dublin, Ireland.
Afrotopia group exhibition at Afrikamuseum, Berg en Dal, The Netherlands.
Unfriendly/Unfollow group exhibition at Gallery: cool ain’t cool anymore, Lisbon, Portugal.
Nataal New African Photography III group exhibition at Red Hook Labs, New York, USA.
Refraction : new photography of Africa and its diaspora group exhibition at Steven Kasher Gallery, New York, USA.
AIPAD – The photography Show group exhibition at Steven Kasher Gallery, New York, USA.
Afrotopia – Bamako encounters 11th edition group exhibition at Afrika Museum, Berg en Dal, The Netherlands.
Stories by peacock for art group exhibition at Business for Africa and the world forum, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
ICTAF – SOLO group exhibition at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town, South Africa.
London Art Fair solo exhibition at the Business Design Centre, London, England.
2017•
SCOPE Miami Beach group exhibition at Beach Pavilion 801, Miami Beach, United States.
FNB Joburg Art Fair group exhibition at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Fuckin’ Globo group exhibition at Hotel Globo, Luanda, Angola.
17 group show at Blank Projects Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa.
Efeito Suruba group exhibition at FEMAFRO, Lisbon, Portugal.
Afrotopia – Bamako encounters 11th edition group exhibition at The National Museum of Mali, Bamako, Mali.
Being Her(e) group exhibition at the Gallery of the Banco Económico, Luanda, Angola.
Lagos Photo Festival solo exhibition, Lagos, Nigeria.
Luuanda group exhibition at Hangar, Lisbon, Portugal.
The Core Projects group exhibition at Rua Red Art Centre, Dublin, Ireland.
FCAAAL – Where Future Beats group exhibition at Studio 63, Milano, Italia.
European Union in Angola group exhibition at the Portuguese Cultural Centre, Portuguese Embassy, Luanda Angola.
2016•
Fuckin’ Globo group exhibition at Hotel Globo, Luanda, Angola.
Addis Foto Fest solo exhibition at Sheraton Addis, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Lagos Photo Festival solo exhibition, Lagos, Nigeria.
Afro Vibes Festival – Fierce Now group exhibition, MC Theater, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Coisas de Mulher group exhibition at the Portuguese Cultural Centre, Portuguese Embassy, Luanda Angola.
Conexões Femininas group exhibition at the Gallery of the Banco Económico, Luanda, Angola.
2015•
The Opening group exhibition at the MOVART Gallery, Luanda, Angola.
Elas Expõem group exhibition at the Memorial Dr. António Agostinho Neto, Luanda, Angola.
Rostos da Paz group exhibition at the Banco Angolano de Investimentos, Luanda, Angola.
Lagos Photo Festival group exhibition, Lagos, Angola.
Bleeding Edge – Afro Vibes Festival at MC Theater, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Vidrul Photography solo exhibition at UNAP, Luanda, Angola.
Something about Bodies group exhibition at Red Gallery, London, England.
2014•
Innocent Exiles group exhibition at EXO, The Hague, The Netherlands.
In Bed with Hair group exhibition, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Fearless Renewal – Afro Vibes Festival group exhibition at MC Theater, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
New Steps group exhibition at Haagse Kunstkring, The Hague, The Netherlands.
Museum Night group exhibition at Dutch Parliament, The Hague, The Netherlands.
Publicity.
2020•Ekow Eshun, Africa State of Mind: Contemporary Photography reimagines a Continent, Thames & Hudson Publishers.
2018•N. Bancel, P. Blanchard, G. Boetsch, C. Taraud, D. Thomas, Sex & Colonies, La Découverte Publishers.
2018•Atlantica: Contemporary Art from Angola and its Diaspora, HANGAR Publishers.
Other activities.
2015• Participated in EMIC: The Interstellar Time Capsule Movie from Google Play, USA.