Cristiano Mangovo

Angola

Mangovo Surrealist and Expressionist Paintings

Collage and Figurative Distortion in Fine Art

Art Exploring Identity, Fragility and Protection

"Having grown up as a refugee in the Democratic Republic of Congo and later developing his artistic career within the social turbulence of Angola, Mangovo channels these realities into a visual language that is both expressive and urgent. The Angolan proverb “Winkeba e Nkeba bu Nkaka” (“Protect yourselves and protect others too”) echoes through his work as a guiding ethical principle and recurring theme.

Blending surrealism and expressionism, he constructs powerful compositions filled with distorted, hybrid figures that challenge conventional notions of the body and identity. His paintings and collages are populated by exaggerated characters — neither fully human nor entirely fantastical — that speak to imbalance, fragility, and the need for protection and care in societies marked by inequality.

Today, Mangovo continues to expand his poetic and politically charged visual language, offering a bold reflection on the human condition through forms that resist, distort, and reimagine.
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MEET

Cristiano Mangovo

Cristiano Mangovo is an Angolan artist whose practice is deeply rooted in lived experience and political awareness. He holds a BA in Fine Art from the École des Beaux-Arts de Kinshasa and has also trained in performance and urban scenography.

His work received early institutional recognition, with his first solo exhibition presented in 2013 by the Foundation of Art and Culture in Luanda. Over the years, he has been awarded the Mirella Antognoli Prize (2014) and the ENSA Art Prize (2018), and has participated in exhibitions across Africa and Europe. In 2017, his retrospective and large-scale installation Riches of Africa marked a significant moment of return and recognition in Angola.

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