Nástio Mosquito

In Ernst Toller’s Nie wieder Friede, Napoleon meets Francis of Assisi. In his new animated film, Nástio Mosquito imagines other such exceptional encounters. John Paul II and Madonna, Shaka and Voltaire—these outrageous and unlikely pairs are attending a concert by WAMBATA EXPRESS, a supergroup including Miles Davis, Nina Simone, Tony Allen, Phil Collins, as well as the artist himself. They are all overshadowed by “beings of the month,” contradictory ideological (great)grandmothers of our time. Mosquito thus comments on the current clashes and cults of personality and so-called civilization.

Nástio Mosquito (1981, Luanda, Angola) is an artist who creates performances, videos, music, and poetry. His work deals with topics such as identity and faith, as well as racism and the colonial history of his native Angola. Mosquito has realized projects in institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven; Portikus, Frankfurt; Fondazione Prada, Milan; and Tate Modern, London. He has also participated in Documenta 14, Kassel and Athens (2017), and the 9th Gwangju Biennale (2012), among others. In 2014, he received the Future Generation Art Prize. Mosquito lives in Ghent.