Thonton Kabeya captures the essence of African cosmopolitanism through his constructions of contemporary urban life in paint and sculpted canvas. Having travelled across the African continent extensively, living and working as an artist between Senegal, Paris and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kabeya has been settled in Johannesburg since 2014. Kabeya challenges the medium of paint and canvas, pursuing new and experimental ways to create texture, depth and balance of colour. He glues layers of canvas together which he then cuts, carves and sculpts before painting. The works are finished with transfers of ink from newspaper, carefully positioned to indicate the folds of moving fabric, and the application of a deep brown walnut powder (an old method of staining wooden furniture) to render skin, as well as balance the tonality of the work. 

Inspired by Congolese architecture and design, as well as its Rumba dance, Kabeya's practice seeks balance in composition, line and colour. In his three-dimensional work, he creates portraits of people and cities alike: bustling street scenes and tender exchanges between individuals. His recent works have focused on the Rumba, inspired by the culture around this phenomenon. Rumba music and dance originated primarily in Congo, then developed further in Cuba and Colombia, Cuba having an important historical link to Africa through the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The Rumba gained enormous popularity in the rest of the world after Cuban Independence in 1960; it was recently added to UNESCO’s intangible heritage list.