Van Andréa is a Congolese (Congo-Brazzaville) painter and sculptor. He graduated from the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Brazzaville, where for his final examination he presented works based on the world of the "sapeurs" from his Bacongo neighborhood.
These pieces, made with papier-mâché on canvas and as sculptures, were titled "Sape Art and the Sapeurs of Brazzaville." This led to his first national solo exhibition at Ateliers Sahm in 2013, titled "Smoke Without Fire." A year later, he won first prize at the second edition of RIAC in Brazzaville, earning him a creative residency at the Blachère Foundation in France. His first international solo exhibition took place in Switzerland, at Gasteateliers Krone Aarau in 2015. Beginning in 2019, Van Andréa began revisiting masterpieces from the Italian Renaissance, reinterpreting them based on the inspiration each one evoked. From Caravaggio’s "The Cardsharps," retitled "Damoiseau," to Lucien Melingue’s "The Provost of Merchants Étienne Marcel and the Dauphin Charles," renamed "The Bourgeoises," his new collection, titled "Renaissance," explores the theme: Corruption of Morals. The use of Ankara fabric for the headscarves of his female figures remains his artistic signature. These women, with their carefully tied headwraps, reflect the artist’s admiration for his grandmother. Van Andréa has emerged through a remarkable journey that can be summarized as follows: Initially introduced to the Congolese public at Ateliers Sahm in 2013 with a solo exhibition, he went on to win the second edition of the International Contemporary Art Meeting (RIAC), which led to his participation in the Dakar Biennale in Senegal in 2014.
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Van Andréa is a Congolese (Congo-Brazzaville) painter and sculptor. He graduated from the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Brazzaville, where for his final examination he presented works based on the world of the "sapeurs" from his Bacongo neighborhood.
These pieces, made with papier-mâché on canvas and as sculptures, were titled "Sape Art and the Sapeurs of Brazzaville." This led to his first national solo exhibition at Ateliers Sahm in 2013, titled "Smoke Without Fire." A year later, he won first prize at the second edition of RIAC in Brazzaville, earning him a creative residency at the Blachère Foundation in France. His first international solo exhibition took place in Switzerland, at Gasteateliers Krone Aarau in 2015. Beginning in 2019, Van Andréa began revisiting masterpieces from the Italian Renaissance, reinterpreting them based on the inspiration each one evoked. From Caravaggio’s "The Cardsharps," retitled "Damoiseau," to Lucien Melingue’s "The Provost of Merchants Étienne Marcel and the Dauphin Charles," renamed "The Bourgeoises," his new collection, titled "Renaissance," explores the theme: Corruption of Morals. The use of Ankara fabric for the headscarves of his female figures remains his artistic signature. These women, with their carefully tied headwraps, reflect the artist’s admiration for his grandmother. Van Andréa has emerged through a remarkable journey that can be summarized as follows: Initially introduced to the Congolese public at Ateliers Sahm in 2013 with a solo exhibition, he went on to win the second edition of the International Contemporary Art Meeting (RIAC), which led to his participation in the Dakar Biennale in Senegal in 2014.
