Bronze Fungi and stamps

Entangled Identities2024This is my first bronze sculpture.

Artists Who Wear Jewelry : exhibition at Mendes Wood gallery, Retranchement - NL.

Fungi: Symbiosis in Bronze

The bronze fungi sculptures serve as a central pillar of Hadassa Ngamba’s Trajet Ngamba project, an initiative that seeks to revitalize reciprocal trade and societal trajectories between Africa, Europe, and the world. This project finds its roots in a 40-day journey across Kongo-Central in 2019, where Ngamba drew inspiration from the legacy of Congolese trade pioneers—including her own father—to envision a more equitable global exchange.

The Symbol and the Tool: In 2023, Ngamba began incorporating fungi into her sculptural practice, recognizing them as the ultimate biological symbol for symbiosis. During a residency in Cameroon, these forms evolved into larger bronze works imprinted with stamps from the Edition Cafe of Trajet Ngamba (2024). These sculptures function like Egyptian hieroglyphs: they are simultaneously aesthetic symbols of interdependence and functional "scripts"—tools used to mark and authenticate merchandise within her trade network.

From Societal to Intimate :What began as a broad exploration of societal reciprocity has transformed into something profoundly personal. For the artist, the fungi have become "cherished jewels"—intimate, tangible touchstones that represent an unwavering commitment to cultivating symbiotic relationships in every sphere of life.

The Fantastic Forest :Looking forward, Ngamba envisions a monumental "fantastic forest" composed of these fungi sculptures in bronze and wood. By potentially integrating Extended Reality (XR), she aims to amplify this message of interconnectedness, creating an immersive space where the ancient wisdom of symbiosis meets the future of global dialogue.

Text by Ralph Dum.

Photography Hugard and Vanoverschelde.