Bodys Isek Kingelez - by Sarah Suzuki (Hardcover)

About the Book

Published in conjunction with an exhibition of the same name held May 26, 2018-January 1, 2019 at The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Book Synopsis

Made from quotidian materials, Kingelez's sculptures evoke visionary architectures

The sculptures of Bodys Isek Kingelez (1948-2015) are imagined architectural propositions and improbable structures for a fairytale urban landscape. Comprised of paper, commercial packaging and the stuff of everyday life, his "extreme maquettes" transform these materials into fantastic visions that encompass civic buildings, public monuments and private pavilions. Born in the Belgian Congo, Kingelez gained international renown following his participation in the landmark 1989 exhibition Magiciens de la Terre at Centre Georges Pompidou and the Grande Halle of the Parc de la Villette, and since that time, his work has been included in numerous global surveys and in several solo presentations. Published to accompany the first retrospective of his work, this volume traces the span of Kingelez's three decade career, from never-before-exhibited early works to sculptures that launched his career in 1989 and the complex and multifaceted cities of later decades, bringing his rarely seen, distinctive oeuvre to international audiences. Featuring stunning new photography of his work, this serves as the most comprehensive volume on the artist to date.

Review Quotes

"Fantastical architectural maquettes of public monuments and civic buildings envisage a utopian metropolis"-- "Apollo Magazine"

"Growing up in his home city of Kinshasa, which grew exponentially with urban planning and infrastructure often unable to keep up, his vibrant and ambitious structures provided utopian alternatives to his own experience of urban life in his home city."--Mackenzie Goldberg "Archinecht"

"Sparkling," "colorful," "intricate," and "inventive," are so inadequate in describing his work that one is tempted to drag out that overused compliment in contemporary arts commentary: "amazing."--Peter Plagens "The Wall Street Journal"

A euphoric exhibition as utopian wonderland, featuring his fantasy architectural models and cities -- works strong in color, eccentric in shape, loaded with enthralling details and futuristic aura.--Roberta Smith "The New York Times"

A euphoric exhibition-as-utopian-wonderland.--Roberta Smith "The New York Times"

A neat, visually pleasing volume.-- "PIN-UP"

A utopian antidote to corruption and suffering, through whimsical, technicolored, and optimistic architecture.--Thu-Huong Ha "Quartzy"

From early single-building sculptures to his futuristic late works, which incorporate increasingly unorthodox material.-- "The Paris Review"

His festive, suis generis work, is sure to make fans of just everyone who sees it.-- "The Week"

Imaginary buildings and whole cities in a perfectly integral melange of modern, postmodern, and entirley invented styles.--Peter Schjeldahl "The New Yorker"

The first comprehensive survey of this Congolese artist's work is a euphoric exhibition as utopian wonderland.--Roberta Smith "New York Times"

The self-trained artist is celebrated for creating "extreme maquettes" to explore questions around urban growth, economic inequity, and the rehabilitative power of architecture.--Hayley Arsenault "talkcontract"

This small-scale architecture is fabulous but orderly--the stuff of fantasy, but also an expression of the real world: of political ambitions, of a desire for harmony, of a vision for civic responsibility and a new postcolonial world order.--Tess Thackara "Artsy"