Marc Padeu Melong, Cameroon, b. 1990

Marc Padeu’s paintings stem from his fascination with storytelling, the passage of time and the enduring narratives that bind communities together. His work draws a direct line between the Western canon of painting and the contemporary experience of communities in Cameroon.

Whilst at the Institute of Fine Arts at the University of Douala in Nkongsamba, Cameroon, Padeu was captivated by the technical virtuosity and compositional brilliance of Velázquez and Caravaggio and the light, colour and exuberance found in Impressionist painting. The history of painting - particularly devotional imagery – is ever present in his work. “I can't work without historical and religious references in my painting. History is my passion and religious belief has always been very present around me.”

Trained as a fresco painter by the church, Padeu’s work repurposes the dramatic language of biblical, epic storytelling to show Black lives on their own terms, exploring Africans’ relationship with religion, particularly Christianity, through the prism of religious colonisation.

Previous exhibitions include National Museum of Yaoundé, Cameroon, Kunstmuseum Basel, Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town, South Africa and the National Gallery of Contemporary Art, Cameroon.

His work has been acquired by the Art Gallery of Ontario, Canada and Space K Museum, South Korea.