Guilherme Mampuya

In a relaxed conversation, we got to know the artistic world of Guilherme Mampuya. He draws, sculpts and paints on canvas. And you can even see his work portrayedin porcelain pieces. The artist has works spread all over the world. He graduated in Law from the University of Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. But it was in painting that he found fulfilment. He was born in theUíge province andspent his childhood between Alvalade, Bairro Popular and later in Viana. He spoke to V&G about his memories of that time, his artistic career, culture in Angola and the exhibitions he has held abroad. He represented Angola atExpo Dubai; and this year he will be at Art Basel Miami Beach. With the pandemic came the desire to create a kind of museum, in his studio, so that people can see old collections, his universe, but also that of so many other national artists.  
 
Where does Guilherme Mampuya’s story begin, in terms of painting? 
It’s a long story. It begins in my childhood. In drawing class, I was basically the best in the class. Obviously there was a ‘competitor’, but throughout my school years I always stood out. In Biology we had to draw pictures so that the teacher could explain the subject and I was the one who drew. In the meantime, I went to university. I studied law. And during the ‘calmer’ periods in class, I always ended up painting. My friends even told me that I should go and do Fine Arts.  
 
But you never went to study fine arts? 
No. So much so that in 2000 I finished my degree in Law and, at that time, I worked as a public defence lawyerin court in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where I stayed for a year. I returned to Luanda in 2001. I started visiting some art studios and in 2002 I went to one of them to learn the basics of painting. In 2003, I began working in a company as a legal adviser. And I forgot about painting. But it wasn’t my thing to wear a suit and tie, I was more into being relaxed. So, in 2006 I dedicated myself to painting. My first exhibition at the Umbi Umbi gallery was a fiasco. I didn’t sell athing.Nobody knew who Guilherme was. I took the works out of the gallery and put them up in the Alvalade hotel. There were people from the elite there, who understood art, and the truth is that in the very first week I made 3,600 USD. From then on, my art started to be appreciated. At the time, Emídio Pinheiro, chairman of the board at BFA bank, became a patron. My career has continued some 16 years since then.

«Those moments of sadness, of conflict and of personal accomplishment, all that is a source of inspiration» 

In these 16 years, have you painted a little bit of everything? 
Of everything, really. When I started, I thought my inspiration was focused on books, I read a lot. I read a lot of novels. I would read a novel, and then convert it into a painting. Then experience showed me that life has other things. Those moments of sadness, of conflict and of personal accomplishment, all that is a source of inspiration. Observing people, conversing, is always something that helps. That was great for diversifying my approach. I thought I had to be more genuine, living emotions and problems of everyday first-hand, and passing this feeling on to my paintings.  
 
How many pictures have you painted so far? 
I’ve lost count. Before I had the patience to count, then, with time, I stopped doing it. I should have a secretary to keep records on such things (he laughs). Social pressure makes you lose sense of time a little, and you start producing, producing.   
 
Do you remember the first picture you painted? 
I painted my first picture in 2000. It was an experimental painting. It was 50 x 70 cm. There were two pieces. At the time, I had been in the studio for six months, out of curiosity I went into town, bought the material and painted. Then I took the pieces to the handicrafts fair, put them on the floor. Curiously, in the same hour, they were sold.  

«My first encounter was with Salvador Dali. I liked that mystique, that surrealism» 

Did you put on exhibitions? 
Yes, yes. Every five months I wouldput on exhibitions. I would amass some money, go to Brussels, and go to all the galleries. I had my first exhibition in Brussels in 2007, the second in 2008, then I went to Lisbon in 2009. I’ve been to Macao, Brazil, Amsterdam, I’ve had exhibitions in many places. I’ve represented Angola in many activities outside the country, the last one was atExpo Dubai; the one before that was in Macao, at the Festival daLusofonia,of the Arts. This year I’ll be at Art Basel Miami Beach.  
 
And now you also have a personal project underway.  
Yes. It’s a museum that I’m developing, in which people can see old collections, it’s where I live, in Zango, in Viana. I am turning my studio into an art space. I started by living there, after five years I created my studio, and now I want to turn it into a museum.  
 
When will the museum open to the public? 
The museum project started in COVID times, last year, and by the end of this year I want to open to the public. The lockdown led to many people working at home, and as people found the walls of their houses lifeless, I ended up selling well in that pandemic period. And it was that phase that gave me the strength to launch this idea of the museum.  

How do you define your art? 
It is figurative art. At an early stage, the person who inspired me, of whomI was a big fan, was Salvador Dalí. I liked that mystique, that surrealism. Picasso not so much. I thought he was very popular, and his art didn’t demand much philosophy. Salvador’s art is more profound. Then came pop art. Over time I did some research, and I came across Jean Dubuffet, the Frenchman. My art has a bit of each of them. Then there’s a lot of the African side to them, you can’t go without those colours and that warmth. I live in a warm and colourful continent, so there’s no escaping the African soul.  
 
Youwere giventhe challenge of creating a work of art for the V&G space in Angola. Would you like to tell us about this painting?  
Our society is very conservative. I thought of a festive painting, a euphoric atmosphere, with lots of dancing, madness. I put the black Bacchus, some merry ladies and wine as a synonym for celebration, apart from this, modernism, without much daring, as the painting is bit daring because it’s people in a phase of ecstasy, people lying on the ground. 
 
And what is your opinion. of the culture and arts sector in Angola? 
It had its delays. Largely because of the consequences of the war. When the country achieved peace, in 2002, families had their priorities: building houses, paying for their children’s schools, buying cars… a picture wasn’t a priority. Between 2006 and 2012 people buying art wereeither Portuguese or British. From then onthe Angolans also began to invest more in art. Now my clients are more Angolan than Portuguese, for example. There’s been a change, the acceptance of art as a household asset.  

«Art should be in various parts of the city, because art is also a history of the country» 

Do you live exclusively from art, from selling paintings? 
Yes, I live exclusively from selling paintings. I can’t complain. But it requires discipline, organisation and confidence in what I do.  
  
Should the State give more support to the cultural sector and the artists?  
It should give more support. The problem in nations like ours, which do very well from their oil, is that not all cultural workers have their salaries indexed in the state budget. We have so much money coming from the oil... and the conversations about culture and tourism are nothing but that, conversations. If we were a country like Portugal, which needs tourism to a great extent, we would support culture much more. Art should be in various parts of the city, because art is also a history of the country. Paris without the Louvre wouldn’t be the same. What made me go to Paris was the Mona Lisa. I had already been there as a child, but I didn’t understand it, I was 10 years old. And what led me, in 2014, to return was the Mona Lisa, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, it is these historical landmarks that stay with us. In Angola, there is a lack of boldness when it comes to culture. We have been allowed a museum of modern art. That is what I am trying to do with my space, to create a museum, I don’t want to be known, but it is to take artists like Neves e Sousa, who was a great artist, and have works of his there, as well as works by other artists. I, Guilherme, want to create a space where I can have various artists exhibited. In this museum, I want people to be able to experience the artist’s story.  
 
Where were you born and where did you spend your childhood? 
I was born in Uíge, then we came to live in Alvalade. Then we moved to Bairro Popular. In 1986, we moved to Viana. For 12 years I studied at the Congolese School. I went to study in Congo in 1994, to finish 12th grade. And in 1995 I started university, also in Congo. I returned to Angola in 2000. When it comes to my childhood, we’re talking about a country that was at war. There was happiness, yes, it was the innocence of childhood. I have good memories of my parents, of my first date, trips to Mussulo, to Barra do Kwanza. These memories are still with me. I had a very authoritarian father [His father died in 2022], for him all the children had to go to university. We were six brothers. I have three children.