Yves Sambu

Yves Sambu’s work is based on the evolution of man and the social integration of men and women in the city. He addresses cohabitation issues which demand respect for one another despite differences in point of view, conviction, and way of being. He is also inspired by the La Sape movement in Congo: colourfully and luxuriously dressed men that roam the streets of Kinshasa. Sapeurism can be traced all the way back to the colonial period in Brazzaville and Kinshasa when house slaves were given clothing instead of money as compensation for their work. This influenced Congolese colonial workers to combat inferiority levelled at them by their French and Belgian masters and made the workers adopt their master’s style but with a hint of their very own exaggerated high-fashion polish.