Jack Kabangu’s latest solo exhibition, Barndommens Drømme (Childhood Dreams), at Saatchi Gallery feels like an expansive dreamscape. Through energetic colours and abstract, illusory faces, Kabangu’s mixed media paintings transform the intangible – memories, dreams and music – into compelling physical forms.

“I had a lot of dreams as a child,” he reflects. “I absorbed a lot… not a lot came out but a lot came in”. – Jack Kabangu

Born in Zambia and relocating to Copenhagen at the age of nine, Kabangu describes himself as a quiet yet curious child in his conversation with PLVTFORM.

The statement above captures the context behind his art – the culmination of years of hazy memories blurring into each other and being retold on canvas. While at first glance the viewer may not be able to decipher the distorted compositions, the emotion conveyed in each piece permeates through to the viewer, inviting varied interpretations.

Water is a recurring theme in Kabangu’s work, stemming from a near-drowning incident as a child, when he fell into a well and was rescued by a neighbour. This formative experience left a lasting impression on him, manifesting through depictions of water and marine colour palettes. The soothing blue hues of Dark Face Painting (Water) suggest a calm trance-like mindstate, while the arresting glare of blazing orb-like eyes in Through The Storm In School Uniform commands the attention of the viewer. The rich sweeping brush strokes in Solens Søn I (Son Of The Sun) are peppered with smaller gestural marks that bend and waver, reminiscent of the motion lines of a cartoon, radiating a vibrant, kinetic energy that makes the piece feel alive.

Amongst all his work, the recurring motif is the elusive black figure. Never looking exactly the same, this shape-shifting being dictates the mood of each piece, expressing universal human emotions, like joy, rage and fear. It speaks to the ebb and flow of the fluctuating psychological states that underpin Kabangu’s work.

His investigation into the inaccuracy of memory and the opacity of dreams places his work on the cusp of expressionism and surrealism. With Barndommens Drømme, he invites viewers to pause and reflect on their personal and collective memories – those fleeting moments that we often overlook or forget in the rush of everyday life. It raises questions about the way we reimagine the past and how lingering dreams can influence our understanding of the real world. The Barndommens Drømme (Childhood Dreams) exhibition curated by BEERS London at Saatchi Gallery, is on from 22nd November 2024 – 12th January 2025.

“I work without rules. I physicalize memories, dreams, music, etc… My mission is to find a balance between the ugly and the beautiful, the light and the dark. To create an energy that speaks to me. When I have captured this energy, I feel that the work is finished. But a work is never until it has found its final surroundings.” – Jack Kabangu, beerslondon.com