Born 1955, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Lives and works in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Chéri Chérin was born in 1955 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is a megacity of over 10 million inhabitants who often refer humorously to the so-called “Article 15 of the Constitution,” which encourages people to take matters into their own hands—a task they approach with talent, and sometimes even genius. Since the early 1970s, the city has experienced an extraordinary creative explosion across all artistic fields. The musical group Viva la Musica achieved immense popular success; one of its members is credited with popularizing the concept of SAPE (Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes).
Within this vibrant cultural landscape, the painter Chéri Chérin, holding one of the most prominent positions in Kinshasa’s artistic community, proclaimed himself a “Unique, Outstanding, Incomparable Expressionist Creator” (C.H.E.R.IN). Chérin gives equal importance to subject, form, representation, legibility, and ornamentation. His work denounces a world in which opportunism and superficiality risk overshadowing true values—values he defends and communicates through his paintings.