A portrait honouring Congolese journalist Paul Bazakana Bayete, alongside the legacy of Pan-African leader Patrice Lumumba, joins the Government Art Collection.
The Government Art Collection has acquired Journaliste (2024), a portrait by British-Congolese artist Djofray Makumbu. The work depicts Paul Bazakana Bayete, a respected Congolese journalist whose writing for publications such as Salongo in Kinshasa and Ebène Magazine in Paris contributed significantly to the country’s cultural discourse.
In the background of the portrait is a framed photograph of Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and an enduring figure in Pan-African history. Lumumba’s inclusion adds historical and political context, reflecting the kinds of conversations that took place in diasporic households like Makumbu’s own, where figures such as Lumumba and Bazakana shaped ideas of Black identity and postcolonial thought.
Acrylic and ink on canvas, 92 × 122 cm.
Courtesy of the artist and Bolanle Contemporary / Photography by Haiyi Wany.
Bazakana, a close friend of Makumbu’s father, was a frequent visitor to the family’s East London home during the 1990s. Drawing on personal memories and family photographs, Makumbu’s work is not just a likeness but a reflection on Bazakana’s wider influence.
The portrait is painted in tones of brown, muted yellow and soft grey, creating a sense of nostalgia similar to that of old photographs. Strong black outlines and stylised features give the figure a slightly abstract quality, linking personal memory with historical legacy.
About Djofray Makumbu
Djofray Makumbu is a British-Congolese artist whose work spans painting, sculpture, moving image and Claymation. Rooted in his East London upbringing and Congolese heritage, his practice explores themes of identity, mental health and everyday life.
A graduate of Goldsmiths (BA Fine Art, 2018), he was awarded the Alumno/SPACE Studio Bursary and is currently in his final year at the Royal Academy Schools. In 2020, he was commissioned to produce Hello Mr Officer, a moving image work addressing police harassment, later exhibited at South London Gallery.
Makumbu received the LOEWE FOUNDATION/Studio Voltaire Award in 2021 and held a digital residency with the Yinka Shonibare Foundation. His solo exhibition Snap! (SPACE, 2024–25) featured portraits drawn from his father’s photography archive.
The Government Art Collection’s acquisition of Journaliste (2024) reflects Makumbu’s ability to connect personal history with wider social and cultural themes.
Collect Djofray Makumbu
A selection of works by Makumbu is available through Bolanle Contemporary.
©2025 Djofray Makumbu, Bolanle Contemporary
Contributing writer chronicling contemporary art’s beautiful mess — when he can get there. Survives on openings, opinions, one gallery, one artwork at a time. Considers espresso a meal.
