Patrick Bongoy: Sacred material

Congolese-born, Cape Town-based artist Patrick Bongoy transforms reclaimed rubber inner tubes into intricately woven sculptures confronting histories of extraction, displacement and survival. A 2024 LOEWE Foundation Craft Prize finalist now representing the DRC at the 2026 Venice Biennale, Patrick reflects on his family's early resistance to his path, the enduring legacy of Congo's rubber trade, and how ritual and spirituality shape his practice.

Show Notes

Key takeaways from this episode:

• Material can hold history. Patrick's woven rubber sculptures carry the memory of Congo's colonial rubber trade, showing how a discarded object can become a vessel for grief, memory and repair.

• Slow making is its own form of healing. Months spent washing, cutting and weaving are treated almost as ritual mourning, drawing on traditional basket-making practices passed down through generations.

• Creative paths rarely run in one lane. From painting to fashion, modelling and performance, Patrick's story makes the case for treating every discipline as part of one evolving practice rather than separate identities.

• Spirituality can outgrow religion. His shift from organised faith toward a more personal sense of the divine shows how belief can keep changing shape alongside a creative practice.

• International recognition can follow deeply personal work. From a 2022 solo show at Southern Guild to representing the DRC at the 2026 Venice Biennale, Patrick's rise shows that work rooted in a specific, painful history can resonate on the world stage

During the live interview, we shared some images of Patrick’s artwork. Since you’re listening to the podcast version, we’ve made these images available for you below. 

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