By Udemma Chukwuma
( Tembele Christian (HPM) performs Costume de Paix, transforming recycled egg trays into symbolic armour in a powerful call for peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.)
Some artworks seek admiration. Others demand reflection. Costume de Paix (Costume of Peace) by Congolese multidisciplinary artist Tembele Christian (HPM) belongs to the latter. Through performance, sculpture, and symbol, HPM turns discarded egg trays into a haunting visual language for the conflict devastating the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
At first glance, the costume looks almost surreal, an armour worn by a silent guardian, built entirely from recycled egg trays. But this is not the armour of war. It is the armour of vulnerability. Egg trays exist to protect fragile things; in HPM's hands, they become a metaphor for peace itself, precious, delicate, and constantly under threat.
The choice of recycled material is both practical and pointed. It echoes the resilience of communities rebuilding from ruin while quietly challenging the assumption that powerful art needs expensive materials. Ordinary objects become extraordinary carriers of meaning.
The clock embedded in the performer's mask becomes the work's emotional centre. It suggests that peace cannot remain an abstract future goal; every passing minute carries the weight of lives lost, and communities fractured. Time itself becomes an indictment of inaction.
Long white strands cascade across the costume, softening its otherwise rugged form. The artist identifies them as symbols of hope and peace; in motion, they create a striking tension between gentleness and suffering. The black rubber woven through parts of the costume serves as a counterweight, representing the unseen political, economic, and military forces that continue to sustain violence.
What makes Costume de Paix most compelling is that it lives as performance rather than static sculpture. As HPM walks through public streets, the work leaves the gallery behind. Shoppers, children, motorists, and passers-by become an unintended audience. The street itself becomes a stage, interrupting everyday life with an urgent question: How long can we continue to watch while violence persists?
The photographs reveal people gathering with curiosity rather than indifference. Drummers accompany the procession, adding rhythm and ritual to the experience. The work shifts from an object to be observed into a collective encounter, an invitation to reflect on peace, justice, and memory.
A globe attached to the costume broadens the narrative beyond the borders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It suggests that the country's crisis cannot be understood in isolation. Regional politics, international interests, and global silence all become part of the story HPM is telling.
If there is one point worth considering critically, it is that some of the symbolism becomes fully apparent only after reading the artist's statement. Viewers encountering the performance without that context may not immediately grasp every symbolic reference. Yet this does not diminish the work. Instead, it demonstrates how performance art often acquires greater depth through the interplay of image, movement, and narrative.
Costume de Paix succeeds because it resists spectacle for its own sake. It is visually memorable and politically engaged without becoming didactic. HPM reminds us that art can bear witness, challenge complacency, and create space for dialogue where silence has grown too comfortable.
In a world saturated with images of conflict, Costume de Paix refuses to let violence become ordinary. It asks us not simply to witness suffering but to recognise that peace is as fragile as the materials from which the costume is built. Long after the performance ends, its urgency remains.
Verdict: Costume de Paix is a thoughtful and moving work of socially engaged contemporary African performance art. Through inventive materials and powerful symbolism, Tembele Christian (HPM) transforms everyday waste into a compelling call for peace, memory, and collective responsibility.
Ayodeji Kingsley
