A Kind of Alchemy

Hosted by: Alliance Francaise, Lusaka

October 22, 2022

A showcase of works created over the period of 2 years by the artist. Meditative flow and the unconscious inform the formative stages of her artworks. The spontaneity and magic found in painting in this way activates Jung’s enigmatic ‘prima materia’ or ‘essence’, which, “symbolically speaking… represents the unknown substance within us that carries the projections of the unconscious”. Through this process, Mika accesses liminal states of being and mind, forming a personal narrative of life beyond what has come to be accepted as ‘reality’. The sacred function of painting as meditative work and the use of materials such as raw pigment and earth of the region births a new language – a kind of alchemy that is often only felt or seen in dreams or visions. Layers are erased in an act of archaeological exploration and mining into what came before. Colours, line, form and texture are ever seeking a balance in these compositions, just as Mika seeks ‘the centre’ towards healing and wholeness in self. Photographic credits to Maingaila Muvundika, Kalenga Bonkoti and Kombole