Jean-Sylvain Tshilumba [EN]

In this episode, I speak with Jean-Sylvain Tshilumba Mukendi, cultural practitioner and artistic coordinator at Atelier Picha in Lubumbashi.

His work sits at the crossroads of research, artistic production, and the building of independent cultural infrastructures on the African continent. With Picha, he helps shape spaces where artists can experiment, learn, and circulate their practices beyond traditional institutional models.
We talk about what it means to work within an independent art ecosystem, the challenges of funding, visibility and mobility, and how photographic practices have become central to Picha’s curatorial approach.

The conversation also explores the networks of solidarity that sustain artistic communities, the specificities of operating outside conventional institutions, and the future of autonomous spaces across Africa.
A grounded and generous exchange with someone who thinks deeply about how art communities grow, survive, and imagine new forms of independence.

Useful links:

– Website: https://www.diptykmag.com/

– Newsletter: Sign-up form

– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diptykmagazine/