With "Earth and Sky," her first solo exhibition in France, Sungi Mlengeya continues her exploration of a painting style where emptiness becomes as eloquent as the figure. Inspired by the loss of her mother, the Tanzanian artist presents a series of remarkably understated works, where memory, transmission, and presence unfold in a silent dialogue between earth and sky.
At first glance, Sungi Mlengeya's paintings seem almost devoid of background. The bodies appear amidst immense white surfaces, as if suspended in a boundless space. Yet, this emptiness is not an absence: it breathes, welcomes the gaze, and gives full force to the human figure.
For several years, this African painter has established herself on the international scene thanks to her instantly recognizable pictorial language. Her figures, often female, emerge from deliberately minimalist spaces where every gesture, every posture, and every silence takes on a particular intensity. Light does not mold the bodies; on the contrary, it seems to originate from the void that surrounds them.
Nothing, however, predestined Sungi Mlengeya to become a painter. Born in 1991 and raised partly in a Tanzanian national park where her parents worked, she grew up far from museums and art schools, filling the long days with drawing and crafts. After studying finance and spending a few years in the banking sector, she abandoned a secure career in 2018 to devote herself entirely to painting, learning on her own, as a self-taught artist, to give form to her intuitions. This initial freedom has never left her work. In just a few years, her canvases have traveled from Cape Town to Basel, from Kampala to New York, supported by major institutions such as the Zeitz MOCAA, where she was featured in the vast exhibition dedicated to a century of Black figuration. Recognized early on as one of the most prominent emerging figures on the African art scene, she has since seen her career crowned by a residency at the Rockefeller Foundation and the publication of her first monograph, without ever losing the simplicity that makes her painting so accurate.
Sungi Mlengeya, Pendo, 2026, Detail 1, © Sungi Mlengeya, Courtesy of Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire, Afriart Gallery and the Artist
Presented at the Les Filles du Calvaire gallery, "Earth and Sky" marks a significant milestone in her career, as it is her first solo exhibition in France. Conceived after her mother's death, this new series takes on a more intimate dimension without ever succumbing to autobiographical narrative. Rather than dwelling on loss, Sungi Mlengeya focuses on what remains: the gestures passed down, the habits inherited, the thoughts that continue to inhabit those who remain.
The exhibition's title, "Earth and Sky," encapsulates this reflection. While the earth evokes roots, origins, everything that shapes us, the sky opens a space for projection where memories and invisible presences persist. Between the two, Sungi Mlengeya's figures seem to float with astonishing lightness, as if freed from all gravity without ever losing their grounding.
This tension is reflected in his painting style. The bodies, rendered in deep black, stand out against almost immaculate backgrounds; a few lines suffice to suggest movement or emotion. Nothing is demonstrative. The poses, often unusual, invite the viewer to observe the body differently, far removed from conventional representations. In Sungi Mlengeya's work, power arises from the economy of means.
Negative space, which has become the signature of her work, plays a crucial role here. Where other artists might fill the canvas, she chooses to let the composition breathe. This omnipresent white is never simply a background: it becomes a mental territory where the viewer can project their own experience. In "Earth and Sky," it takes on a new dimension, embodying the "sky" evoked by the title, a place where the invisible bonds between generations continue to exist.
Without ever resorting to pathos, Sungi Mlengeya delivers a sensitive meditation on the continuity of existence. Each figure carries within it the memory of those who came before, as if gestures, presences, and legacies were silently passed down from one body to another. Between presence and absence, silence and light, "Earth and Sky" reminds us that what shapes us never truly disappears: it simply continues to live on in other forms.
"Earth and Sky"
Gallery The Girls of Calvary
17, rue des Filles-du-Calvaire, Paris 3rd
From 5 September to 24 October 2026
