Table of materials
Discover the story, artistic approach, and inspiring journey of contemporary African artist Mba Verlaine. Dive deeper into her creative world, and uncover her most recent exhibitions.
1 - Childhood and artistic discovery of Mba Verlaine
Born in Bafoussam, Cameroon, Mba Verlaine grew up in a family of teachers. The youngest of five siblings, she discovered her passion for drawing at the age of 14. From that point on, art became an all-consuming passion for her. However, her parents were skeptical of this path and strongly opposed it. They even stopped purchasing supplies for her. Despite this, she didn’t give up and found a solution in digital art. This new medium granted her the freedom to create without restrictions. With fewer tools, she unleashed her artistic potential and fully expressed herself. Her passion thus became a powerful means of affirming her limitless creativity.
2 - Training and teaching career of Mba Verlaine
After completing her baccalaureate in 2016, Mba Verlaine continued her studies at the University of Douala for two years. Then, in 2018, she successfully passed the entrance exam for the École Normale de Bertoua (ENSB), marking a significant milestone in her journey. Three years later, in 2021, she obtained her Dipes I and embarked on her teaching career. In her classroom, she shares her passion for mathematics with enthusiasm, inspiring her students. However, her dedication goes beyond teaching.
At the same time, Verlaine nurtures her love for digital painting, a field that has fascinated her for a long time. Gradually, she establishes herself as a professional digital artist, blending her creativity with new technologies. This dual career path enhances her journey, merging teaching and artistic creation with both harmony and determination.
3 - Training and teaching career of Mba Verlaine
4 - artistic themes and inspirations of Mba Verlaine
Mba Verlaine’s art is, above all, a profound reflection on contemporary realities and social injustices. Through her work, she addresses current societal challenges, drawing inspiration from her personal experiences and Cameroonian heritage. She explores a range of themes, including gender violence, cultural identity, and environmental issues. Her work further invites audiences to reflect on the quest for a better, fairer world.
As a passionate, creative, and determined artist, Mba Verlaine firmly believes in art’s transformative power. Above all, she seeks to raise awareness and challenge established norms. Her artistic commitment becomes an invitation to positive action, reflection, and change. Furthermore, African heritage is a central theme in her work; she strives to celebrate it by exploring its history, richness, and complexities.
5 - Exhibitions of the artist Mba Verlaine
In 2024, Mba Verlaine made her mark on the Cameroonian art scene by participating in two significant group exhibitions.
Rêves d'artistes” exhibition
In April, Mba Verlaine participated in the international group exhibition “Rêve d’artiste.” This event highlighted artists exploring digital art, featuring notable figures such as Pang’art, Jizréel Diabaté, fa’a, and Princesse Keirath. Organized by Barthélémy Toguo’s Bandjoun Station gallery, the exhibition centered on the theme of gender-based violence.
For Mba Verlaine, this exhibition provided an opportunity to reveal the different forms of violence experienced in relationships. Drawing inspiration from her own experiences of indirect violence within her family, her pieces are both poignant and deeply committed, reflecting her personal and artistic vision. These works are now available on her website and can be viewed in her virtual gallery.
Crypto Genesis (Opus II)'' exhibition
Since 2023, the French Institute of Cameroon has integrated crypto-art—a movement born with the rise of NFTs—into its cultural programming. In February 2024, the exhibition “Crypto Genèse (Opus II)” followed an initial edition. This new show marked the culmination of several months of work for twelve Cameroonian artists, supported by the IFC as part of the “CORRESPONDANCES” residency. The curators, members of the Ox4rt organization, led the event’s direction.
Participation of mba verlaine
Among the participating artists, Mba Verlaine exhibited her piece Soul Davis, a portrait of a modern man wearing a traditional Bamileke elephant mask. This artwork is part of her “My African Culture” collection, which delves into African cultural roots. The exhibition was showcased in Yaoundé, Douala, and Paris, thus reaching an international audience. The works from this exhibition are now available on her website and can be viewed in her virtual gallery.
Her participation in this event solidified her role as a pioneer in the field of crypto-art in Cameroon. By contributing to the recognition of this emerging movement, Verlaine Mba establishes herself as a key figure in the growing digital art scene.
6 - my artistic approach
My artistic practice is mainly based around digital painting, crypto-art, string art and code-art, disciplines where art and technology merge. Thanks to these mediums, I give life to mathematical concepts by materializing them through digital works, which I then enrich with string art. In this way, I create hybrid works that harmoniously combine geometry and artistic expression.
As a mathematics teacher and visual artist, I constantly explore the boundaries between these two fields, seeking to reveal the beauty of mathematical forms through art. My passion for mathematics leads me to represent the beauty of geometric figures by integrating them into my digital creations, while my interest in digital art constantly pushes me to push the boundaries of creativity and technology. As an African artist, I draw inspiration from my environment by exploring themes such as gender violence, cultural identity, environmental issues, social injustices and contemporary challenges. These concerns are at the heart of my works, where art becomes a powerful means of awareness and reflection.
I create primarily by passion, to sublimate the world around me and share my artistic vision with the public. Each work is an invitation to contemplate the interconnectedness between mathematics, art and society, a dialogue between the invisible and the visible, the past and the future, the individual and the collective.
7 - My artistic activities
2024
- January 2024: ‘Crypto Genesis (Opus II)’ exhibition at the IFC in Yaoundé and Douala.
- February 2024: ‘The pioneers’ exhibition in Paris.
- April 2024: International exhibition ”Artist’s Dreams’ at Bandjoun Station.
- August 2024: Participation in the opening of the Showroom of the artist Eric Takukam and participation in the talk on ”the stakes of Digital Art and Heritage Conservation’
- November 2024: NFT training in Douala with the company Blockchain for Africa and the IFC
- December 2024: Collaboration with the artist Hadassa Ngamba on the project ”Trajet Ngamba”
Don’t forget to share this article.
Hadassa Ngamba: Between art…
Hadassa Ngamba, a Congolese visual artist born in 1993, uses a multidisciplinary body of work to investigate the country’s colonial…
What Water residence in…
From November 1st to 31st, 2024, Bandjoun Station, an iconic art center in Cameroon, hosted an artist residency. This project…
Bandjoun Station Gallery
Nestled in the highlands of West Cameroon, Bandjoun Station stands out as an extraordinary site. Located just kilometers from Bafoussam,…
Auteur
Je m’appelle Mba Verlaine, une artiste camerounaise passionnée par la culture africaine. Sur ce blog, je partage régulièrement mes réflexions et mes découvertes sur les arts, les traditions et les sujets qui me tiennent à cœur.
