RECONSTRUCTED IDENTITIES

Reconstructed Identities marks a new stage in Evans Mbugua’s ongoing exploration of identity, memory, and resilience. In this body of work, he addresses themes of trauma and reconstruction, drawing inspiration from two ancient techniques: stained glass and kintsugi.

The portraits, intertwined with patterned backgrounds, are hand-painted on acrylic sheets that are cut into fragments and then reassembled using oxidized wire, making rupture and repair central to the material and visual logic of the work. This gesture echoes the spirit of kintsugi, in which breakage and restoration are understood as the continuous history of an object. These works can be seen as quiet acts of care – spaces open to fragility without seeking to conceal it. Rather than restoring a lost wholeness, they affirm the possibility of renewal through the visible and vulnerable work of reconstruction.

Exhibition views at La La Lande gallery, Paris 2025

^{Photo credits : Celine-A}