Camille-Pierre Pambu Bodo, (b. Dem. Republic of the Congo, 1953) Acrylic on canvas Signed and

Camille-Pierre Pambu Bodo, (b. Dem. Republic of the Congo, 1953) Acrylic on canvas Signed and dated `Art Bodo 2006` (lower right) 170 x 425cm (66.9 x 167.3in)

One of his country`s leading artists Camille-Pierre Bodo Pambu, known as Bodo, was born in 1953, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He lives and works as an artist and evangelical preacher in the country`s capital, Kinshasa.

Alongside Moke and Chéri Samba, Bodo is one of the founding members, of what came to be known as the Zaïre School of Popular Painting united in a fervent belief that as artists they had the power to change history. The concept of the artist as popular educator and moral crusader is fundamental to his work. The imaginary figures and detailed narratives found within Bodo`s works are inspired by dreams as well as real experiences and reflect his beliefs and visions of a better world.

In Je m`étonne n°1 or `I am amazed`, one of Bodo`s largest and most ambitious paintings, explores his astonishment at the ways of the world and at his own imaginative response to it. We see here people flying in peanuts and pencils and birds and helicopters made of leaves - a satirical commentary on the hold that witchcraft still has in Africa. On the left, the train and cars are a symbol of the ever-increasing speed of modern urban life. The muscular man representing humanity`s over-inflated view of its own strength.

Biography: Selected group exhibitions include; JapanCongo, Garage Center for Contemporary Culture, Moscow, African Stories, Marrakech Art Fair, Marrakech, Morocco (2010), `Popular Painting` from Kinshasa, Tate Modern (2007/2008), London, 100% Africa, Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao (2007/2007) and African Art Now, Houston, Texas, in 2005. Acquired directly from the artist A private collection, France Click here to view Catalogue