Robert-Jan Lacombe.

Kwa Heri Mandima

Date: 2010
Length: 11:00 min.
Format: 16:9
Specifications: Colour, Sound, Single Channel
Courtesy the artist
 

The 10 minute video work “Kwa Heri Mandima” tells us about artist Robert-Jan Lacombe’s childhood in Zaire until he left there. Basing his work on the few photos from that time, Lacombe reconstructs the first ten years of his life. A panorama photo which documents the central event, his departure from Zaire, is the starting point from which Lacombe constructs his tale. Using individual sections of the picture, which the camera picks out and enlarges, Lacombe recalls memories of his early life. In this, however, he uses the third person and, despite the obviously autobiographical quality of his tale, keeps a clear distance from his subject. The use of further photos, enlivened by deliberate camera work and the sound track, draws the viewer in and makes them feel like participants. Once in Europe the artist finds himself confronted with a new culture and new rules of conduct. Meanwhile three of his earliest childhood friends, left behind for ever, are forced to take part in a war which broke out shortly after Lacombe left the country. The work ends with a film clip which shows the Lacombe family’s departure to Europe. From the perspective of the passengers, the camera takes a last look back and the journey in a new future begins.

Silvie Pohlmeier