On the third floor of the MoMA, Bodys Isek Kingelez’s exhibition City of Dreams was on view. As the viewer walks into the space, there are little buildings neatly organized on white platforms at different heights. At first glance, one may think it is simply a design of a colorful, made up village. But when one looks closer, it is much more than that. Kingelez reimagines what a perfect world would look like as he had hopes for what his country Zaire would become in the future. As he grew up with the country going under urban planning for the majority of his childhood, Kingelez utopia brings his city dreams to life. Repurposing pieces of paper, bottle caps, cans, packaging and other found objects, he successfully built his dream.
Bodys Isek Kingelez concept and theme is clear because his choice of color and shape is bright, intricate and fun. Each building is welcoming, practical and grand as he carefully considers what systems would make an ideal world. For example, in Ville Fantôme (1996), there are no police, doctors or soldiers but there are power plants, post offices, and public parking. I think by eliminating these positions that are highly regarded as important jobs in our reality, Kingelez is also considering the problems that we face with police brutality, to name one. He believes everyone would be created equal, the village even has a bridge called, “Bridge for the Dead” that connects both worlds.
I wonder what language(s) the people of this utopia would speak, what the interiors look like, if there as colorful as the exterior buildings. I’d like to know more about Kingelez artistic choices and if a lot of his ideas and attention to detail comes from his upbringing in an urban society and how it is reflective of his concerns with societal issues.
Bodys Isek Kingelez, Ville Fantôme, CAAC- The Pigozzi Collection, Geneva, Mixed Media (1996).
Bodys Isek Kingelez, U.N, CAAC- The Pigozzi Collection, Geneva, Mixed Media (1995).
