Ilídio Candja Candja Mozambique, b. 1976

Ilídio Candja Candja received his education at the National School of Visual Arts of Maputo. After several exhibitions in his homeland, he relocated to Porto, Portugal, to further develop his artistic practice.

Candja Candja's artistic journey unfolds as a continuous evolution, marked by a nuanced exploration of individual and collective memory. His practice is distinguished by a critical reflection on the past, present, and future, with a notable focus on envisioning Afro-centric utopias that offer glimpses into speculative realms. While Candja Candja did not directly experience the colonial history he interrogates in his work, he intricately weaves it into a shared historical tapestry, influencing current and future narratives.

Drawing from Abstract Expressionism and Action Painting, Candja Candja embeds his art within a broader, vibrant artistic lineage. His paintings pulsate with energy, assertive brushstrokes, a rich colour palette, personal symbols, and the integration of African textile prints. Consequently, his canvases serve as platforms for introspection and the vivid exploration of cultural identity.

Candja Candja's painted collages blend cultural introspection with personal semiotics, emerging from abstract backgrounds to form the artist's own mythology. These compositions teem with enigmatic figures, spectral apparitions, and symbolic motifs juxtaposed with geometric and mathematical elements, photographs, and traditional African art motifs.

This juxtaposition creates a captivating tension within Candja Candja's work, inviting viewers to delve deeper. His oeuvre reflects a meditation on African cultural identities intertwined with an introspective exploration of the artist's restless spirit, blurring the lines between the personal and communal, the tangible and conceptual, and the historical and futuristic.