Yoba Valombola’s art focuses on the society that he comes from. Elements of his work include images, symbols and signs that he takes from a wide range of contexts: personal experience, memories and imagination as well as poetry and music or everyday occurrences.
In African art, it is common practice to work with symbols, signs, letters and numbers, as the artworks themselves generally thematise everyday stories, ideas or social concepts. Valombola’s work takes up these themes using such diverse media as screen printing, painting and drawing; it is also oriented on historical works of art from the last two centuries, which provide him with guidance in his personal striving for freedom of action and expression.

“Since the beginning of time, creativity – widely known as art in the western world – has been there to serve and to give manifestation to the spiritual world. Creativity (art) was the only way the human race could express themselves or get into contact with the spiritual world. My creations are influenced by the way I see the world, my experience in life and what I have been through in life to this day. While I use a variety of materials and processes in each art work, my methodology is consistent.” (Y. Valombola, 2010).

All the installations, mixed-media works, prints and ritual sculptures shown in “Exhitain” have been produced during Yoba Valombola’s stay in Künstlerhaus Bethanien.