Masela Nkolo

Masela Nkolo is a Congolese-born artist whose multidisciplinary practice spans installation, sculpture, textiles, photography, video, and performance. By reclaiming discarded materials such as oil lanterns, screwdrivers, and doors, Nkolo creates totemic figures that reflect personal and collective experiences while offering a contemporary, syncretic reinterpretation of classical African art. His work advocates for peace, social justice, and healing, fostering dialogue around resilience, cultural memory, and the enduring human spirit. Through his creations, he invites audiences to engage with these themes, encouraging connections that transcend boundaries and promote collective understanding. Nkolo holds a degree in Fine Arts with a concentration in large-scale sculpture from the Academy of Fine Arts in Kinshasa. He emerged as a leading voice within Neo-Ngongism, a Kinshasa-based movement dedicated to awakening public consciousness through street exhibitions, installations, and community interventions. He is the Georgia awardee for the 2025 South Arts Prize. 

Nkolo has been an artist-in-residence at Midtown Heart of the Arts (Atlanta, GA); Art Omi (Ghent, NY); and the Baie-Saint-Paul International Symposium of Contemporary Art (Quebec, Canada), among others. His work has been exhibited at institutions including The Mint Museum (NC), Atlanta Contemporary (GA), PATH Museum (GA), The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, The African Diaspora Art Museum of Atlanta, Agora Gallery (NY), Johnson Lowe Gallery (GA), and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. 

Artist Fee: $6,000 
Availability: August, October, November, March- June.

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