ExoBrain

ExoBrain Series2019Series of 14 drawings.

During her 2019 residency at WIELS in Brussels, Hadassa Ngamba created EXOBRAIN, a pivotal series of 14 pastel line drawings that marks a profound transformation in her artistic practice.

The title EXOBRAIN conceptualizes an "exodus" of the mind—reflecting a transition that was both geographical and artistic. In moving from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Belgium, Ngamba underwent a parallel stylistic shift. While her previous body of work - like Cerveau II - often relied on raw ore minerals from her home country as physical pigments, EXOBRAIN sees her pivoting to pure line drawings to construct abstract, cartographic figures.

This transformative residency ultimately culminated in EXERCISES, a solo exhibition of her work presented at the WIELS Project Room in 2021.