Born in 1977 in Yaounde-Cameroon, Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung found an interest in art at an early age. Bound by the constraints of main-stream education, he only started reflecting his dreams in the form of paintings and drawings in his late teenage years.

After accomplishing a secondary and high school education in Cameroon, he moved to Berlin, Germany for university studies. He earned a Masters in Engineering in Food biotechnology and later did a Doctorate degree in Biotechnology. He lives and works in Berlin and Montpellier.

In the course of time, he has had the chance to compliment and bridge a gap not only between science and art but also between contemporary African art and his interpretation of art from the rest of the world.

His works tell stories ranging from birth to death, love to hate, immigrants to emigrants, slavery to freedom, but of all things- music; in the form of collages, drawings, acrylic paintings and to a lesser extent, photography. He describes his art as “neo-conscious art”.

Selected exhibitions:

Curator
“This world is not my home” Sep.-Oct. 2008 – Arthouse Tacheles Berlin
“Articulating utopia” 2008 – Feine Künste Gallery Berlin
“Consume society-Consumed society” 2008 – Kunstprojekt International Temporary Art (K:ITA) Berlin
“Thought was born blind, but thought knows what is seeing” 2007 – Premarts Gallery, Berlin

Upcoming 2008
- Gallery Zero Berlin – “Frontiers of our I” / solo exhibition
- Arthouse Tacheles – “This world is not my home” / group exhibition
(Alexandre Chongwa-Bede, Alexander Steffens, Andrea Borgueno, Anna Krenz, Bettina Tita, Bonaventure S.B. Ndikung, Elke Graalfs, Fong Ponto, Friedrich Fröhlich, Joachim Cols, Joris Vanpoucke, Julian Ronnefeldt, Lenka Vitkova, Luiza Lapupazza, Stephanie Mai)

2008
- Kunstprojekt International Temporary Art (K:ITA), Berlin – “Consume society-Consumed society” / Group exhibition
(Fong Ponto, Anna Blaszczyk, Filip Itoito, Luiza LaPupazza, Alexander Steffens, Alice Masprone, Joris Vanpoucke, Bonaventure Ndikung, Silvio Streddi, Stephanie Mai)
- Feine Künste Gallery – “articulating utopia” / group exhibition 48-stunden Neukölln
(Alexander Steffens, Alice Masprone, Elke Graalfs, Joris Vanpoucke, Bonaventure Ndikung, Silvio Streddi)
- Familien Garten – “Rohstoff”/ group exhibition, curated by Alexander Steffens
(Thomas Engelbert, Carolina Gimeno, Adrian Shepard, Bonaventure Ndikung, Andreas Schwarzkopf, Elke Graalfs, Alexander Steffens)
- Pecha Kucha vol. 09 Festsaal Kreuzberg “humours of the four seasons”, co-curated by Anna Krenz

2007
- Rheinrauschen Gallery, Düsseldorf – “SIGNS”
- The Ugly American Gallery, Düsseldorf
- ACUD Gallery, Berlin – “African symbols that narrate today’s stories”
- TU Berlin – Lange Nacht der Wissenschaft
- Premarts Gallery, Berlin – “Thought was born blind, but thought knows what is seeing” / Group exhibition

2006
- Linnenbrinck & co., Düsseldorf
- Gaudeamus Gallery, Düsseldorf – “Back to the roots of things”

2004
- Strauß Berlin

MOST RECENT WORKS

Bridging the gap between the rich and diverse contemporary African art and world art. It has been a long way from “hostile”, “entartete Kunst” it was called, to the limelight it is today.

The rainbow-like paintings are not only intended to please the eye but also uphold sentiments and spirits. Just like the rock drawings from 7000BC, the paintings tell stories ranging from birth to death, love to hate, immigrants to emigrants, slavery to freedom, but of all things- music.

The challenge is to explicitly reflect the culture and tradition of African tribes like the Ashanti, Bantu, Dogon, Hausa, Massai, Ngemba, Nubia, Peul, Pigmies, Yoruba, Igbo, Zulu etc.

Lots of fun!

MOST RECENT WORKS

Eine Idee: Die Kluft zwischen afrikanischer Kunst und Kunst der restlichen Welt überbrücken.

Es ist ein langer Weg gewesen, von „feindlicher“, oder gar „entarteter“ Kunst, wie man sie einst genannt hat, bis die wertvollen Entwicklungen in der afrikanischen Kunst an Interesse gewonnen haben.

Die bunten Gemälde sollen nicht nur das Auge erfreuen, sondern auch die Stimmung und den Esprit Afrikas wiederspiegeln. So wie die Felsenzeichnungen von 7000 v.Chr. werden hier Geschichten von Geburt und Tod, Liebe und Haß, Einwanderern und Auswanderern, Sklaverei und Freiheit und vor allem Musik erzählt.

Die Herausforderung ist es die Geschichte, Kultur und Tradition afirkanischer Stämme wie die Ashanti, Bantu, Dogon, Hausa, Massai, Ngemba, Nubia, Peul, Pygmäen, Yoruba, Igbo, Zulu etc. ausfühlich zu wiederspiegeln.

Viel Spaß!

MOST RECENT WORKS

L'idée est de franchir l'écart entre les arts africains et l'art du monde.

Ca a été un long chemin de « l’art hostile » ou «l’art dégénéré » comme on l'a appelée une fois, jusqu'à ce que les développements précieux dans l'art africain aient gagné en intérêt.

Les œuvres de couleur vive doivent non seulement satisfaire l'oeil, mais aussi refléter l'ambiance et l’esprit d'Afrique. Ainsi, comme sur les dessins de rocher de 7000 av. J.-C. les tableaux racontent des histoires de la naissance au décès, de l'amour à la haine, des immigrés aux des émigrants, de l'esclavage à la liberté, et surtout de la musique.

Le défi est de refléter l’histoire, la culture et la tradition des tribues africaines comme les Ashantis, les Bantus, les Dogons, les Hausas, les Massais, les Ngembas, les Nubias, les Peuls, les Pygmées, les Yorubas, les Igbos, les Zulus etc..

Amusez-vous bien!