We are delighted to host artist Hadassa Ngamba in our Residency Pod until 15th August.
Hadassa Ngamba (b. 1993) is a Congolese visual artist whose multi-faceted practice consists of drawings, paintings, photography, video, installations, and performance.
Having grown up in Boma (the prototype of Congolese industrialization) and Lubumbashi (a major mining city in the Haut-Katanga region, which encompassed other kingdoms than Congo before colonization), Ngamba began working with maps, using them to expose signs of exploitation.
In January 2019, Ngamba moved to Belgium for a residency at WIELS in Brussels. She then pursued a postgraduate degree in visual and audio visual arts at HISK in Ghent (2020-2021).
In 2024-2025, Ngamba is a guest artist at Tate Liverpool and the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool, contributing to the ROUTES AND NAVIGATIONS project with her research project Trajet Ngamba. Her work is part of prestigious collections, including the S.M.A.K. in Ghent (BE), IKOB in Eupen (BE), the National Bank of Belgium, and Morgan Stanley Bank in New York (USA), alongside numerous international private collections.
Hadassa Ngamba, Cerveau 2, 2019. Liverpool Biennial 2025 at Tate Liverpool + RIBA NorthCLiverpool Biennial 2025 at Tate Liverpool + RIBA North
This work from the artist’s ‘Cerveau’ series (2018-2023), which translates to ‘brain’, is exhibited in Liverpool for the first time in the UK. The piece is based on historical maps of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and psychological mapping of the terrains that exist around and within us. The work provides a visual critique of colonial legacies and the impact of imposed borders and cartographies, while also suggesting a future where Congolese people can reclaim their agency.
Ngamba contrasts the rigid configuration of colonial space, characterised by arbitrary grids imposed by colonial powers, with textures and colours derived from raw minerals abundant in the DRC. The green spots are made of malachite – a copper-ore mineral which is often used for paint and decorative purposes. The open-pit and underground mining practices used to extract this material are cause for serious environmental concern, including habitat and biodiversity loss. Here, the dots represent people that the artist met during her journey across Kongo Central in 2019.
Another key material chosen by the artist, Katanga cassiterite is a tin-ore often used in electronics and packaging. Its sale is used to fund conflict in the artist’s home country – widespread violence and displacement of people and homes are fuelled by the illegal trade of natural resources.
Ahead of participating in Liverpool Biennial 2025, the artist undertook research with the city’s Congolese community, alongside Tate Liverpool and the International Slavery Museum.
Hadassa’s residency at Broadworks gives her a space to create new work alongside her programme in Liverpool and an opportunity to explore London and its mapping as well. She is currently working on pieces inspired by London and is utilising materials from the local environment to position them into their context.
Follow Hadassa’s work here: