Welcome to 15 Questions With…, a new interview series in which art writer Gary Grimes picks the brains of artists, curators, and other creatives to understand what makes them tick through a series of quick-fire questions. This series aims to showcase the varying approaches creatives take to making art and how their relationships to the so-called art world differ, but also reveal what unites those responsible for the art we love.
Bernice Mulenga is a British-Congolese artist and photographer based in London. Mulenga’s practice seeks to archive, document and interrogate the world around them, primarily focusing on themselves, Black queer global and local communities, and the experiences found within them. Their work centres on bonds, kinship and the search for intimacy. This is exemplified in their ongoing photo series #friendsonfilm, a living archive that has been growing since 2015 and continues to evolve with time.
Mulenga’s recent exhibitions include Malembe, Malembe, Goswell Road, Paris (2025); Sending My Love To You, Baby, Haricot Gallery, London (2024); Conversations, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (2024); Pictures of Us, Gathering, London; The Makings of You, Modern Art Oxford (Photo Oxford); and Beautiful Experiments at Photo50 London Art Fair (all 2023), among many others.
Most recently, Mulenga was awarded the Circa Prize 2024, and their film Let’s Move On was featured on Piccadilly Lights in London and other international screens throughout September 2024. They currently have two shows on view in London - LMK WHEN U REACH at Auto Italia and In Bloom at Seed130. They also exhibited work at RALLY, an arts and music festival in Southwark Park in August.
1. What is your earliest memory of a work of art?
Artwork my mum had around the house, it was a mix of family photos, portraits of my mum in Congo and photos with a beautiful painting and inspiring quotes or something religious. We had one that was so beautiful. It was a painting of trees, butterflies, a pond with fishes - this one was my favourite.
2. Where do you turn to when you're in need of inspiration?
Nature, the club and listening to music while riding my bike - specifically heading nowhere! So much of my inspiration comes from listening, observing and feeling.
3. What do you like to do when you need to take a break from your practice?
Be horizontal, on the floor if possible.
4. Who is your favourite artist?
Too many to just pick one, but one of my (many) favourites is Ming Smith! Just look at the material. I also had the pleasure of meeting her and her son a few years ago, and we had a really lovely conversation, her words really stuck with me.
5. What's the biggest crime an artist can commit?
Not being true to themselves.
6. Which gallery or museum should everyone try to visit at least once in their life?
Niterói Contemporary Art Museum - just wow! I’m going back again this year.
7. What is the worst thing about the art world?
Everything. The fact that we even have an “art world” is jokes. People have turned it into this savage industry that can’t function without artists, but it treats them awfully. It’s so lame. I think this is why I continue to stay independent and really love and support others who are too, but I don’t shade people who aren’t either, because at the end of the day, we are all expressing what we are feeling.
8. Whose opinions on art do you actually care about?
Children. My favourite workshops are the ones with children, they bring so much life and freedom. They are always bringing interesting perspectives and also not afraid to tell you if your work is crap (to them).
9. What trend in art makes you roll your eyes?
All of them! I don’t watch trends - it gets boring, but also just be yourself, learn to get to know yourself, your likes and dislikes. Why does it matter what’s trending now? What’s that got to do with you and your practice? Why do you have to feed into it? I think it’s a little bit of a trap.
10. Who are the last three musical artists you listened to?
KeiyaA - Stupid Prizes, Duquesa - Purple Rain, and Joviale - HARK.
11. What's your favourite colour and why?
It changes all the time, but right now I’m really in my red era, again. Specifically, a cherry red, mixed with a touch of raspberry. Something about red right now for me feels energetic, smooth and warm.
12. You recently exhibited work at Rally Festival in South London - what did fans of yours get to see there?
It was big, bold and bad! I was excited to be showing those images from my archive #friendsonfilm at such a scale. It was hard to make a selection, but Haja Fanta, the curator, did an amazing job, I was really happy with it.
13. What can you tell us about your show that's currently on view at Auto Italia?
This show is really special, not just for me but for the people pictured in the show. It’s a love letter to my friends and honestly all the people I have met through photographing, dancing late at night into the morning, on dance floors across the world or maybe in my friend’s kitchen. This show marks three important moments, my first institutional solo, the 10th anniversary of my archive #friendsonfilm, and the nature of this work that celebrates Black queer and trans people on this scale. In a time that society does not reflect this, I think it’s important. I really just love us!
14. Which piece in the show took the longest to perfect and why?
I think the self-portrait at the end - it was hard to decide on this one. It was the last piece and image I had to decide on. I kept putting it aside while sorting the others with my curator, Milda and the team. For the others, I had such a big selection of images, but this one was the only one, and it was me. My work looks a lot to people around me, but it felt so nice to be able to include myself, especially because so many of the people in my life pour into me and my work. This image is really personal, as not only is it of me, but it’s me from such a different time than where I am now.
Self-portraits offer a lot of self-reflection for me. In this image, I was on a solo trip to Cuba, my first solo trip that wasn’t for work and my first trip outside after COVID-19 lockdowns. I needed space from London and, honestly, people. I needed time and space to sit with my grief. I also love the placement of the image in the show because when you get to the image, the plexiglass is reflective, so every time people take a picture of it, it’s me and them, as one, together. A nice reminder for me that I’m never alone.
15. What impression do you hope people get after seeing the show?
That they want to document their life more and the people around them, and for no other reason other than just because. We have lost that touch of documenting things just because we wanted to, or to remember we were here or because it’s just fun… I just want people to do more things because they want to and because they can. Imagine if 10 years ago I hadn’t bought that broken camera and used my terrible bartender pay cheque to buy film and experiment. Imagine that.
Welcome to 15 Questions With…, a new interview series in which art writer Gary Grimes picks the brains of artists, curators, and other creatives to understand what makes them tick through a series of quick-fire questions. This series aims to showcase the varying approaches creatives take to making art and how their relationships to the so-called art world differ, but also reveal what unites those responsible for the art we love.
Bernice Mulenga is a British-Congolese artist and photographer based in London. Mulenga’s practice seeks to archive, document and interrogate the world around them, primarily focusing on themselves, Black queer global and local communities, and the experiences found within them. Their work centres on bonds, kinship and the search for intimacy. This is exemplified in their ongoing photo series #friendsonfilm, a living archive that has been growing since 2015 and continues to evolve with time.
Mulenga’s recent exhibitions include Malembe, Malembe, Goswell Road, Paris (2025); Sending My Love To You, Baby, Haricot Gallery, London (2024); Conversations, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (2024); Pictures of Us, Gathering, London; The Makings of You, Modern Art Oxford (Photo Oxford); and Beautiful Experiments at Photo50 London Art Fair (all 2023), among many others.
Most recently, Mulenga was awarded the Circa Prize 2024, and their film Let’s Move On was featured on Piccadilly Lights in London and other international screens throughout September 2024. They currently have two shows on view in London - LMK WHEN U REACH at Auto Italia and In Bloom at Seed130. They also exhibited work at RALLY, an arts and music festival in Southwark Park in August.
1. What is your earliest memory of a work of art?
Artwork my mum had around the house, it was a mix of family photos, portraits of my mum in Congo and photos with a beautiful painting and inspiring quotes or something religious. We had one that was so beautiful. It was a painting of trees, butterflies, a pond with fishes - this one was my favourite.
2. Where do you turn to when you're in need of inspiration?
Nature, the club and listening to music while riding my bike - specifically heading nowhere! So much of my inspiration comes from listening, observing and feeling.
3. What do you like to do when you need to take a break from your practice?
Be horizontal, on the floor if possible.
4. Who is your favourite artist?
Too many to just pick one, but one of my (many) favourites is Ming Smith! Just look at the material. I also had the pleasure of meeting her and her son a few years ago, and we had a really lovely conversation, her words really stuck with me.
5. What's the biggest crime an artist can commit?
Not being true to themselves.
6. Which gallery or museum should everyone try to visit at least once in their life?
Niterói Contemporary Art Museum - just wow! I’m going back again this year.
7. What is the worst thing about the art world?
Everything. The fact that we even have an “art world” is jokes. People have turned it into this savage industry that can’t function without artists, but it treats them awfully. It’s so lame. I think this is why I continue to stay independent and really love and support others who are too, but I don’t shade people who aren’t either, because at the end of the day, we are all expressing what we are feeling.
8. Whose opinions on art do you actually care about?
Children. My favourite workshops are the ones with children, they bring so much life and freedom. They are always bringing interesting perspectives and also not afraid to tell you if your work is crap (to them).
9. What trend in art makes you roll your eyes?
All of them! I don’t watch trends - it gets boring, but also just be yourself, learn to get to know yourself, your likes and dislikes. Why does it matter what’s trending now? What’s that got to do with you and your practice? Why do you have to feed into it? I think it’s a little bit of a trap.
10. Who are the last three musical artists you listened to?
KeiyaA - Stupid Prizes, Duquesa - Purple Rain, and Joviale - HARK.
11. What's your favourite colour and why?
It changes all the time, but right now I’m really in my red era, again. Specifically, a cherry red, mixed with a touch of raspberry. Something about red right now for me feels energetic, smooth and warm.
12. You recently exhibited work at Rally Festival in South London - what did fans of yours get to see there?
It was big, bold and bad! I was excited to be showing those images from my archive #friendsonfilm at such a scale. It was hard to make a selection, but Haja Fanta, the curator, did an amazing job, I was really happy with it.
13. What can you tell us about your show that's currently on view at Auto Italia?
This show is really special, not just for me but for the people pictured in the show. It’s a love letter to my friends and honestly all the people I have met through photographing, dancing late at night into the morning, on dance floors across the world or maybe in my friend’s kitchen. This show marks three important moments, my first institutional solo, the 10th anniversary of my archive #friendsonfilm, and the nature of this work that celebrates Black queer and trans people on this scale. In a time that society does not reflect this, I think it’s important. I really just love us!
14. Which piece in the show took the longest to perfect and why?
I think the self-portrait at the end - it was hard to decide on this one. It was the last piece and image I had to decide on. I kept putting it aside while sorting the others with my curator, Milda and the team. For the others, I had such a big selection of images, but this one was the only one, and it was me. My work looks a lot to people around me, but it felt so nice to be able to include myself, especially because so many of the people in my life pour into me and my work. This image is really personal, as not only is it of me, but it’s me from such a different time than where I am now.
Self-portraits offer a lot of self-reflection for me. In this image, I was on a solo trip to Cuba, my first solo trip that wasn’t for work and my first trip outside after COVID-19 lockdowns. I needed space from London and, honestly, people. I needed time and space to sit with my grief. I also love the placement of the image in the show because when you get to the image, the plexiglass is reflective, so every time people take a picture of it, it’s me and them, as one, together. A nice reminder for me that I’m never alone.
15. What impression do you hope people get after seeing the show?
That they want to document their life more and the people around them, and for no other reason other than just because. We have lost that touch of documenting things just because we wanted to, or to remember we were here or because it’s just fun… I just want people to do more things because they want to and because they can. Imagine if 10 years ago I hadn’t bought that broken camera and used my terrible bartender pay cheque to buy film and experiment. Imagine that.
Welcome to 15 Questions With…, a new interview series in which art writer Gary Grimes picks the brains of artists, curators, and other creatives to understand what makes them tick through a series of quick-fire questions. This series aims to showcase the varying approaches creatives take to making art and how their relationships to the so-called art world differ, but also reveal what unites those responsible for the art we love.
Bernice Mulenga is a British-Congolese artist and photographer based in London. Mulenga’s practice seeks to archive, document and interrogate the world around them, primarily focusing on themselves, Black queer global and local communities, and the experiences found within them. Their work centres on bonds, kinship and the search for intimacy. This is exemplified in their ongoing photo series #friendsonfilm, a living archive that has been growing since 2015 and continues to evolve with time.
Mulenga’s recent exhibitions include Malembe, Malembe, Goswell Road, Paris (2025); Sending My Love To You, Baby, Haricot Gallery, London (2024); Conversations, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (2024); Pictures of Us, Gathering, London; The Makings of You, Modern Art Oxford (Photo Oxford); and Beautiful Experiments at Photo50 London Art Fair (all 2023), among many others.
Most recently, Mulenga was awarded the Circa Prize 2024, and their film Let’s Move On was featured on Piccadilly Lights in London and other international screens throughout September 2024. They currently have two shows on view in London - LMK WHEN U REACH at Auto Italia and In Bloom at Seed130. They also exhibited work at RALLY, an arts and music festival in Southwark Park in August.
1. What is your earliest memory of a work of art?
Artwork my mum had around the house, it was a mix of family photos, portraits of my mum in Congo and photos with a beautiful painting and inspiring quotes or something religious. We had one that was so beautiful. It was a painting of trees, butterflies, a pond with fishes - this one was my favourite.
2. Where do you turn to when you're in need of inspiration?
Nature, the club and listening to music while riding my bike - specifically heading nowhere! So much of my inspiration comes from listening, observing and feeling.
3. What do you like to do when you need to take a break from your practice?
Be horizontal, on the floor if possible.
4. Who is your favourite artist?
Too many to just pick one, but one of my (many) favourites is Ming Smith! Just look at the material. I also had the pleasure of meeting her and her son a few years ago, and we had a really lovely conversation, her words really stuck with me.
5. What's the biggest crime an artist can commit?
Not being true to themselves.
6. Which gallery or museum should everyone try to visit at least once in their life?
Niterói Contemporary Art Museum - just wow! I’m going back again this year.
7. What is the worst thing about the art world?
Everything. The fact that we even have an “art world” is jokes. People have turned it into this savage industry that can’t function without artists, but it treats them awfully. It’s so lame. I think this is why I continue to stay independent and really love and support others who are too, but I don’t shade people who aren’t either, because at the end of the day, we are all expressing what we are feeling.
8. Whose opinions on art do you actually care about?
Children. My favourite workshops are the ones with children, they bring so much life and freedom. They are always bringing interesting perspectives and also not afraid to tell you if your work is crap (to them).
9. What trend in art makes you roll your eyes?
All of them! I don’t watch trends - it gets boring, but also just be yourself, learn to get to know yourself, your likes and dislikes. Why does it matter what’s trending now? What’s that got to do with you and your practice? Why do you have to feed into it? I think it’s a little bit of a trap.
10. Who are the last three musical artists you listened to?
KeiyaA - Stupid Prizes, Duquesa - Purple Rain, and Joviale - HARK.
11. What's your favourite colour and why?
It changes all the time, but right now I’m really in my red era, again. Specifically, a cherry red, mixed with a touch of raspberry. Something about red right now for me feels energetic, smooth and warm.
12. You recently exhibited work at Rally Festival in South London - what did fans of yours get to see there?
It was big, bold and bad! I was excited to be showing those images from my archive #friendsonfilm at such a scale. It was hard to make a selection, but Haja Fanta, the curator, did an amazing job, I was really happy with it.
13. What can you tell us about your show that's currently on view at Auto Italia?
This show is really special, not just for me but for the people pictured in the show. It’s a love letter to my friends and honestly all the people I have met through photographing, dancing late at night into the morning, on dance floors across the world or maybe in my friend’s kitchen. This show marks three important moments, my first institutional solo, the 10th anniversary of my archive #friendsonfilm, and the nature of this work that celebrates Black queer and trans people on this scale. In a time that society does not reflect this, I think it’s important. I really just love us!
14. Which piece in the show took the longest to perfect and why?
I think the self-portrait at the end - it was hard to decide on this one. It was the last piece and image I had to decide on. I kept putting it aside while sorting the others with my curator, Milda and the team. For the others, I had such a big selection of images, but this one was the only one, and it was me. My work looks a lot to people around me, but it felt so nice to be able to include myself, especially because so many of the people in my life pour into me and my work. This image is really personal, as not only is it of me, but it’s me from such a different time than where I am now.
Self-portraits offer a lot of self-reflection for me. In this image, I was on a solo trip to Cuba, my first solo trip that wasn’t for work and my first trip outside after COVID-19 lockdowns. I needed space from London and, honestly, people. I needed time and space to sit with my grief. I also love the placement of the image in the show because when you get to the image, the plexiglass is reflective, so every time people take a picture of it, it’s me and them, as one, together. A nice reminder for me that I’m never alone.
15. What impression do you hope people get after seeing the show?
That they want to document their life more and the people around them, and for no other reason other than just because. We have lost that touch of documenting things just because we wanted to, or to remember we were here or because it’s just fun… I just want people to do more things because they want to and because they can. Imagine if 10 years ago I hadn’t bought that broken camera and used my terrible bartender pay cheque to buy film and experiment. Imagine that.
Welcome to 15 Questions With…, a new interview series in which art writer Gary Grimes picks the brains of artists, curators, and other creatives to understand what makes them tick through a series of quick-fire questions. This series aims to showcase the varying approaches creatives take to making art and how their relationships to the so-called art world differ, but also reveal what unites those responsible for the art we love.
Bernice Mulenga is a British-Congolese artist and photographer based in London. Mulenga’s practice seeks to archive, document and interrogate the world around them, primarily focusing on themselves, Black queer global and local communities, and the experiences found within them. Their work centres on bonds, kinship and the search for intimacy. This is exemplified in their ongoing photo series #friendsonfilm, a living archive that has been growing since 2015 and continues to evolve with time.
Mulenga’s recent exhibitions include Malembe, Malembe, Goswell Road, Paris (2025); Sending My Love To You, Baby, Haricot Gallery, London (2024); Conversations, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (2024); Pictures of Us, Gathering, London; The Makings of You, Modern Art Oxford (Photo Oxford); and Beautiful Experiments at Photo50 London Art Fair (all 2023), among many others.
Most recently, Mulenga was awarded the Circa Prize 2024, and their film Let’s Move On was featured on Piccadilly Lights in London and other international screens throughout September 2024. They currently have two shows on view in London - LMK WHEN U REACH at Auto Italia and In Bloom at Seed130. They also exhibited work at RALLY, an arts and music festival in Southwark Park in August.
1. What is your earliest memory of a work of art?
Artwork my mum had around the house, it was a mix of family photos, portraits of my mum in Congo and photos with a beautiful painting and inspiring quotes or something religious. We had one that was so beautiful. It was a painting of trees, butterflies, a pond with fishes - this one was my favourite.
2. Where do you turn to when you're in need of inspiration?
Nature, the club and listening to music while riding my bike - specifically heading nowhere! So much of my inspiration comes from listening, observing and feeling.
3. What do you like to do when you need to take a break from your practice?
Be horizontal, on the floor if possible.
4. Who is your favourite artist?
Too many to just pick one, but one of my (many) favourites is Ming Smith! Just look at the material. I also had the pleasure of meeting her and her son a few years ago, and we had a really lovely conversation, her words really stuck with me.
5. What's the biggest crime an artist can commit?
Not being true to themselves.
6. Which gallery or museum should everyone try to visit at least once in their life?
Niterói Contemporary Art Museum - just wow! I’m going back again this year.
7. What is the worst thing about the art world?
Everything. The fact that we even have an “art world” is jokes. People have turned it into this savage industry that can’t function without artists, but it treats them awfully. It’s so lame. I think this is why I continue to stay independent and really love and support others who are too, but I don’t shade people who aren’t either, because at the end of the day, we are all expressing what we are feeling.
8. Whose opinions on art do you actually care about?
Children. My favourite workshops are the ones with children, they bring so much life and freedom. They are always bringing interesting perspectives and also not afraid to tell you if your work is crap (to them).
9. What trend in art makes you roll your eyes?
All of them! I don’t watch trends - it gets boring, but also just be yourself, learn to get to know yourself, your likes and dislikes. Why does it matter what’s trending now? What’s that got to do with you and your practice? Why do you have to feed into it? I think it’s a little bit of a trap.
10. Who are the last three musical artists you listened to?
KeiyaA - Stupid Prizes, Duquesa - Purple Rain, and Joviale - HARK.
11. What's your favourite colour and why?
It changes all the time, but right now I’m really in my red era, again. Specifically, a cherry red, mixed with a touch of raspberry. Something about red right now for me feels energetic, smooth and warm.
12. You recently exhibited work at Rally Festival in South London - what did fans of yours get to see there?
It was big, bold and bad! I was excited to be showing those images from my archive #friendsonfilm at such a scale. It was hard to make a selection, but Haja Fanta, the curator, did an amazing job, I was really happy with it.
13. What can you tell us about your show that's currently on view at Auto Italia?
This show is really special, not just for me but for the people pictured in the show. It’s a love letter to my friends and honestly all the people I have met through photographing, dancing late at night into the morning, on dance floors across the world or maybe in my friend’s kitchen. This show marks three important moments, my first institutional solo, the 10th anniversary of my archive #friendsonfilm, and the nature of this work that celebrates Black queer and trans people on this scale. In a time that society does not reflect this, I think it’s important. I really just love us!
14. Which piece in the show took the longest to perfect and why?
I think the self-portrait at the end - it was hard to decide on this one. It was the last piece and image I had to decide on. I kept putting it aside while sorting the others with my curator, Milda and the team. For the others, I had such a big selection of images, but this one was the only one, and it was me. My work looks a lot to people around me, but it felt so nice to be able to include myself, especially because so many of the people in my life pour into me and my work. This image is really personal, as not only is it of me, but it’s me from such a different time than where I am now.
Self-portraits offer a lot of self-reflection for me. In this image, I was on a solo trip to Cuba, my first solo trip that wasn’t for work and my first trip outside after COVID-19 lockdowns. I needed space from London and, honestly, people. I needed time and space to sit with my grief. I also love the placement of the image in the show because when you get to the image, the plexiglass is reflective, so every time people take a picture of it, it’s me and them, as one, together. A nice reminder for me that I’m never alone.
15. What impression do you hope people get after seeing the show?
That they want to document their life more and the people around them, and for no other reason other than just because. We have lost that touch of documenting things just because we wanted to, or to remember we were here or because it’s just fun… I just want people to do more things because they want to and because they can. Imagine if 10 years ago I hadn’t bought that broken camera and used my terrible bartender pay cheque to buy film and experiment. Imagine that.
Welcome to 15 Questions With…, a new interview series in which art writer Gary Grimes picks the brains of artists, curators, and other creatives to understand what makes them tick through a series of quick-fire questions. This series aims to showcase the varying approaches creatives take to making art and how their relationships to the so-called art world differ, but also reveal what unites those responsible for the art we love.
Bernice Mulenga is a British-Congolese artist and photographer based in London. Mulenga’s practice seeks to archive, document and interrogate the world around them, primarily focusing on themselves, Black queer global and local communities, and the experiences found within them. Their work centres on bonds, kinship and the search for intimacy. This is exemplified in their ongoing photo series #friendsonfilm, a living archive that has been growing since 2015 and continues to evolve with time.
Mulenga’s recent exhibitions include Malembe, Malembe, Goswell Road, Paris (2025); Sending My Love To You, Baby, Haricot Gallery, London (2024); Conversations, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (2024); Pictures of Us, Gathering, London; The Makings of You, Modern Art Oxford (Photo Oxford); and Beautiful Experiments at Photo50 London Art Fair (all 2023), among many others.
Most recently, Mulenga was awarded the Circa Prize 2024, and their film Let’s Move On was featured on Piccadilly Lights in London and other international screens throughout September 2024. They currently have two shows on view in London - LMK WHEN U REACH at Auto Italia and In Bloom at Seed130. They also exhibited work at RALLY, an arts and music festival in Southwark Park in August.
1. What is your earliest memory of a work of art?
Artwork my mum had around the house, it was a mix of family photos, portraits of my mum in Congo and photos with a beautiful painting and inspiring quotes or something religious. We had one that was so beautiful. It was a painting of trees, butterflies, a pond with fishes - this one was my favourite.
2. Where do you turn to when you're in need of inspiration?
Nature, the club and listening to music while riding my bike - specifically heading nowhere! So much of my inspiration comes from listening, observing and feeling.
3. What do you like to do when you need to take a break from your practice?
Be horizontal, on the floor if possible.
4. Who is your favourite artist?
Too many to just pick one, but one of my (many) favourites is Ming Smith! Just look at the material. I also had the pleasure of meeting her and her son a few years ago, and we had a really lovely conversation, her words really stuck with me.
5. What's the biggest crime an artist can commit?
Not being true to themselves.
6. Which gallery or museum should everyone try to visit at least once in their life?
Niterói Contemporary Art Museum - just wow! I’m going back again this year.
7. What is the worst thing about the art world?
Everything. The fact that we even have an “art world” is jokes. People have turned it into this savage industry that can’t function without artists, but it treats them awfully. It’s so lame. I think this is why I continue to stay independent and really love and support others who are too, but I don’t shade people who aren’t either, because at the end of the day, we are all expressing what we are feeling.
8. Whose opinions on art do you actually care about?
Children. My favourite workshops are the ones with children, they bring so much life and freedom. They are always bringing interesting perspectives and also not afraid to tell you if your work is crap (to them).
9. What trend in art makes you roll your eyes?
All of them! I don’t watch trends - it gets boring, but also just be yourself, learn to get to know yourself, your likes and dislikes. Why does it matter what’s trending now? What’s that got to do with you and your practice? Why do you have to feed into it? I think it’s a little bit of a trap.
10. Who are the last three musical artists you listened to?
KeiyaA - Stupid Prizes, Duquesa - Purple Rain, and Joviale - HARK.
11. What's your favourite colour and why?
It changes all the time, but right now I’m really in my red era, again. Specifically, a cherry red, mixed with a touch of raspberry. Something about red right now for me feels energetic, smooth and warm.
12. You recently exhibited work at Rally Festival in South London - what did fans of yours get to see there?
It was big, bold and bad! I was excited to be showing those images from my archive #friendsonfilm at such a scale. It was hard to make a selection, but Haja Fanta, the curator, did an amazing job, I was really happy with it.
13. What can you tell us about your show that's currently on view at Auto Italia?
This show is really special, not just for me but for the people pictured in the show. It’s a love letter to my friends and honestly all the people I have met through photographing, dancing late at night into the morning, on dance floors across the world or maybe in my friend’s kitchen. This show marks three important moments, my first institutional solo, the 10th anniversary of my archive #friendsonfilm, and the nature of this work that celebrates Black queer and trans people on this scale. In a time that society does not reflect this, I think it’s important. I really just love us!
14. Which piece in the show took the longest to perfect and why?
I think the self-portrait at the end - it was hard to decide on this one. It was the last piece and image I had to decide on. I kept putting it aside while sorting the others with my curator, Milda and the team. For the others, I had such a big selection of images, but this one was the only one, and it was me. My work looks a lot to people around me, but it felt so nice to be able to include myself, especially because so many of the people in my life pour into me and my work. This image is really personal, as not only is it of me, but it’s me from such a different time than where I am now.
Self-portraits offer a lot of self-reflection for me. In this image, I was on a solo trip to Cuba, my first solo trip that wasn’t for work and my first trip outside after COVID-19 lockdowns. I needed space from London and, honestly, people. I needed time and space to sit with my grief. I also love the placement of the image in the show because when you get to the image, the plexiglass is reflective, so every time people take a picture of it, it’s me and them, as one, together. A nice reminder for me that I’m never alone.
15. What impression do you hope people get after seeing the show?
That they want to document their life more and the people around them, and for no other reason other than just because. We have lost that touch of documenting things just because we wanted to, or to remember we were here or because it’s just fun… I just want people to do more things because they want to and because they can. Imagine if 10 years ago I hadn’t bought that broken camera and used my terrible bartender pay cheque to buy film and experiment. Imagine that.
Welcome to 15 Questions With…, a new interview series in which art writer Gary Grimes picks the brains of artists, curators, and other creatives to understand what makes them tick through a series of quick-fire questions. This series aims to showcase the varying approaches creatives take to making art and how their relationships to the so-called art world differ, but also reveal what unites those responsible for the art we love.
Bernice Mulenga is a British-Congolese artist and photographer based in London. Mulenga’s practice seeks to archive, document and interrogate the world around them, primarily focusing on themselves, Black queer global and local communities, and the experiences found within them. Their work centres on bonds, kinship and the search for intimacy. This is exemplified in their ongoing photo series #friendsonfilm, a living archive that has been growing since 2015 and continues to evolve with time.
Mulenga’s recent exhibitions include Malembe, Malembe, Goswell Road, Paris (2025); Sending My Love To You, Baby, Haricot Gallery, London (2024); Conversations, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (2024); Pictures of Us, Gathering, London; The Makings of You, Modern Art Oxford (Photo Oxford); and Beautiful Experiments at Photo50 London Art Fair (all 2023), among many others.
Most recently, Mulenga was awarded the Circa Prize 2024, and their film Let’s Move On was featured on Piccadilly Lights in London and other international screens throughout September 2024. They currently have two shows on view in London - LMK WHEN U REACH at Auto Italia and In Bloom at Seed130. They also exhibited work at RALLY, an arts and music festival in Southwark Park in August.
1. What is your earliest memory of a work of art?
Artwork my mum had around the house, it was a mix of family photos, portraits of my mum in Congo and photos with a beautiful painting and inspiring quotes or something religious. We had one that was so beautiful. It was a painting of trees, butterflies, a pond with fishes - this one was my favourite.
2. Where do you turn to when you're in need of inspiration?
Nature, the club and listening to music while riding my bike - specifically heading nowhere! So much of my inspiration comes from listening, observing and feeling.
3. What do you like to do when you need to take a break from your practice?
Be horizontal, on the floor if possible.
4. Who is your favourite artist?
Too many to just pick one, but one of my (many) favourites is Ming Smith! Just look at the material. I also had the pleasure of meeting her and her son a few years ago, and we had a really lovely conversation, her words really stuck with me.
5. What's the biggest crime an artist can commit?
Not being true to themselves.
6. Which gallery or museum should everyone try to visit at least once in their life?
Niterói Contemporary Art Museum - just wow! I’m going back again this year.
7. What is the worst thing about the art world?
Everything. The fact that we even have an “art world” is jokes. People have turned it into this savage industry that can’t function without artists, but it treats them awfully. It’s so lame. I think this is why I continue to stay independent and really love and support others who are too, but I don’t shade people who aren’t either, because at the end of the day, we are all expressing what we are feeling.
8. Whose opinions on art do you actually care about?
Children. My favourite workshops are the ones with children, they bring so much life and freedom. They are always bringing interesting perspectives and also not afraid to tell you if your work is crap (to them).
9. What trend in art makes you roll your eyes?
All of them! I don’t watch trends - it gets boring, but also just be yourself, learn to get to know yourself, your likes and dislikes. Why does it matter what’s trending now? What’s that got to do with you and your practice? Why do you have to feed into it? I think it’s a little bit of a trap.
10. Who are the last three musical artists you listened to?
KeiyaA - Stupid Prizes, Duquesa - Purple Rain, and Joviale - HARK.
11. What's your favourite colour and why?
It changes all the time, but right now I’m really in my red era, again. Specifically, a cherry red, mixed with a touch of raspberry. Something about red right now for me feels energetic, smooth and warm.
12. You recently exhibited work at Rally Festival in South London - what did fans of yours get to see there?
It was big, bold and bad! I was excited to be showing those images from my archive #friendsonfilm at such a scale. It was hard to make a selection, but Haja Fanta, the curator, did an amazing job, I was really happy with it.
13. What can you tell us about your show that's currently on view at Auto Italia?
This show is really special, not just for me but for the people pictured in the show. It’s a love letter to my friends and honestly all the people I have met through photographing, dancing late at night into the morning, on dance floors across the world or maybe in my friend’s kitchen. This show marks three important moments, my first institutional solo, the 10th anniversary of my archive #friendsonfilm, and the nature of this work that celebrates Black queer and trans people on this scale. In a time that society does not reflect this, I think it’s important. I really just love us!
14. Which piece in the show took the longest to perfect and why?
I think the self-portrait at the end - it was hard to decide on this one. It was the last piece and image I had to decide on. I kept putting it aside while sorting the others with my curator, Milda and the team. For the others, I had such a big selection of images, but this one was the only one, and it was me. My work looks a lot to people around me, but it felt so nice to be able to include myself, especially because so many of the people in my life pour into me and my work. This image is really personal, as not only is it of me, but it’s me from such a different time than where I am now.
Self-portraits offer a lot of self-reflection for me. In this image, I was on a solo trip to Cuba, my first solo trip that wasn’t for work and my first trip outside after COVID-19 lockdowns. I needed space from London and, honestly, people. I needed time and space to sit with my grief. I also love the placement of the image in the show because when you get to the image, the plexiglass is reflective, so every time people take a picture of it, it’s me and them, as one, together. A nice reminder for me that I’m never alone.
15. What impression do you hope people get after seeing the show?
That they want to document their life more and the people around them, and for no other reason other than just because. We have lost that touch of documenting things just because we wanted to, or to remember we were here or because it’s just fun… I just want people to do more things because they want to and because they can. Imagine if 10 years ago I hadn’t bought that broken camera and used my terrible bartender pay cheque to buy film and experiment. Imagine that.
Welcome to 15 Questions With…, a new interview series in which art writer Gary Grimes picks the brains of artists, curators, and other creatives to understand what makes them tick through a series of quick-fire questions. This series aims to showcase the varying approaches creatives take to making art and how their relationships to the so-called art world differ, but also reveal what unites those responsible for the art we love.
Bernice Mulenga is a British-Congolese artist and photographer based in London. Mulenga’s practice seeks to archive, document and interrogate the world around them, primarily focusing on themselves, Black queer global and local communities, and the experiences found within them. Their work centres on bonds, kinship and the search for intimacy. This is exemplified in their ongoing photo series #friendsonfilm, a living archive that has been growing since 2015 and continues to evolve with time.
Mulenga’s recent exhibitions include Malembe, Malembe, Goswell Road, Paris (2025); Sending My Love To You, Baby, Haricot Gallery, London (2024); Conversations, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (2024); Pictures of Us, Gathering, London; The Makings of You, Modern Art Oxford (Photo Oxford); and Beautiful Experiments at Photo50 London Art Fair (all 2023), among many others.
Most recently, Mulenga was awarded the Circa Prize 2024, and their film Let’s Move On was featured on Piccadilly Lights in London and other international screens throughout September 2024. They currently have two shows on view in London - LMK WHEN U REACH at Auto Italia and In Bloom at Seed130. They also exhibited work at RALLY, an arts and music festival in Southwark Park in August.
1. What is your earliest memory of a work of art?
Artwork my mum had around the house, it was a mix of family photos, portraits of my mum in Congo and photos with a beautiful painting and inspiring quotes or something religious. We had one that was so beautiful. It was a painting of trees, butterflies, a pond with fishes - this one was my favourite.
2. Where do you turn to when you're in need of inspiration?
Nature, the club and listening to music while riding my bike - specifically heading nowhere! So much of my inspiration comes from listening, observing and feeling.
3. What do you like to do when you need to take a break from your practice?
Be horizontal, on the floor if possible.
4. Who is your favourite artist?
Too many to just pick one, but one of my (many) favourites is Ming Smith! Just look at the material. I also had the pleasure of meeting her and her son a few years ago, and we had a really lovely conversation, her words really stuck with me.
5. What's the biggest crime an artist can commit?
Not being true to themselves.
6. Which gallery or museum should everyone try to visit at least once in their life?
Niterói Contemporary Art Museum - just wow! I’m going back again this year.
7. What is the worst thing about the art world?
Everything. The fact that we even have an “art world” is jokes. People have turned it into this savage industry that can’t function without artists, but it treats them awfully. It’s so lame. I think this is why I continue to stay independent and really love and support others who are too, but I don’t shade people who aren’t either, because at the end of the day, we are all expressing what we are feeling.
8. Whose opinions on art do you actually care about?
Children. My favourite workshops are the ones with children, they bring so much life and freedom. They are always bringing interesting perspectives and also not afraid to tell you if your work is crap (to them).
9. What trend in art makes you roll your eyes?
All of them! I don’t watch trends - it gets boring, but also just be yourself, learn to get to know yourself, your likes and dislikes. Why does it matter what’s trending now? What’s that got to do with you and your practice? Why do you have to feed into it? I think it’s a little bit of a trap.
10. Who are the last three musical artists you listened to?
KeiyaA - Stupid Prizes, Duquesa - Purple Rain, and Joviale - HARK.
11. What's your favourite colour and why?
It changes all the time, but right now I’m really in my red era, again. Specifically, a cherry red, mixed with a touch of raspberry. Something about red right now for me feels energetic, smooth and warm.
12. You recently exhibited work at Rally Festival in South London - what did fans of yours get to see there?
It was big, bold and bad! I was excited to be showing those images from my archive #friendsonfilm at such a scale. It was hard to make a selection, but Haja Fanta, the curator, did an amazing job, I was really happy with it.
13. What can you tell us about your show that's currently on view at Auto Italia?
This show is really special, not just for me but for the people pictured in the show. It’s a love letter to my friends and honestly all the people I have met through photographing, dancing late at night into the morning, on dance floors across the world or maybe in my friend’s kitchen. This show marks three important moments, my first institutional solo, the 10th anniversary of my archive #friendsonfilm, and the nature of this work that celebrates Black queer and trans people on this scale. In a time that society does not reflect this, I think it’s important. I really just love us!
14. Which piece in the show took the longest to perfect and why?
I think the self-portrait at the end - it was hard to decide on this one. It was the last piece and image I had to decide on. I kept putting it aside while sorting the others with my curator, Milda and the team. For the others, I had such a big selection of images, but this one was the only one, and it was me. My work looks a lot to people around me, but it felt so nice to be able to include myself, especially because so many of the people in my life pour into me and my work. This image is really personal, as not only is it of me, but it’s me from such a different time than where I am now.
Self-portraits offer a lot of self-reflection for me. In this image, I was on a solo trip to Cuba, my first solo trip that wasn’t for work and my first trip outside after COVID-19 lockdowns. I needed space from London and, honestly, people. I needed time and space to sit with my grief. I also love the placement of the image in the show because when you get to the image, the plexiglass is reflective, so every time people take a picture of it, it’s me and them, as one, together. A nice reminder for me that I’m never alone.
15. What impression do you hope people get after seeing the show?
That they want to document their life more and the people around them, and for no other reason other than just because. We have lost that touch of documenting things just because we wanted to, or to remember we were here or because it’s just fun… I just want people to do more things because they want to and because they can. Imagine if 10 years ago I hadn’t bought that broken camera and used my terrible bartender pay cheque to buy film and experiment. Imagine that.
Welcome to 15 Questions With…, a new interview series in which art writer Gary Grimes picks the brains of artists, curators, and other creatives to understand what makes them tick through a series of quick-fire questions. This series aims to showcase the varying approaches creatives take to making art and how their relationships to the so-called art world differ, but also reveal what unites those responsible for the art we love.
Bernice Mulenga is a British-Congolese artist and photographer based in London. Mulenga’s practice seeks to archive, document and interrogate the world around them, primarily focusing on themselves, Black queer global and local communities, and the experiences found within them. Their work centres on bonds, kinship and the search for intimacy. This is exemplified in their ongoing photo series #friendsonfilm, a living archive that has been growing since 2015 and continues to evolve with time.
Mulenga’s recent exhibitions include Malembe, Malembe, Goswell Road, Paris (2025); Sending My Love To You, Baby, Haricot Gallery, London (2024); Conversations, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (2024); Pictures of Us, Gathering, London; The Makings of You, Modern Art Oxford (Photo Oxford); and Beautiful Experiments at Photo50 London Art Fair (all 2023), among many others.
Most recently, Mulenga was awarded the Circa Prize 2024, and their film Let’s Move On was featured on Piccadilly Lights in London and other international screens throughout September 2024. They currently have two shows on view in London - LMK WHEN U REACH at Auto Italia and In Bloom at Seed130. They also exhibited work at RALLY, an arts and music festival in Southwark Park in August.
1. What is your earliest memory of a work of art?
Artwork my mum had around the house, it was a mix of family photos, portraits of my mum in Congo and photos with a beautiful painting and inspiring quotes or something religious. We had one that was so beautiful. It was a painting of trees, butterflies, a pond with fishes - this one was my favourite.
2. Where do you turn to when you're in need of inspiration?
Nature, the club and listening to music while riding my bike - specifically heading nowhere! So much of my inspiration comes from listening, observing and feeling.
3. What do you like to do when you need to take a break from your practice?
Be horizontal, on the floor if possible.
4. Who is your favourite artist?
Too many to just pick one, but one of my (many) favourites is Ming Smith! Just look at the material. I also had the pleasure of meeting her and her son a few years ago, and we had a really lovely conversation, her words really stuck with me.
5. What's the biggest crime an artist can commit?
Not being true to themselves.
6. Which gallery or museum should everyone try to visit at least once in their life?
Niterói Contemporary Art Museum - just wow! I’m going back again this year.
7. What is the worst thing about the art world?
Everything. The fact that we even have an “art world” is jokes. People have turned it into this savage industry that can’t function without artists, but it treats them awfully. It’s so lame. I think this is why I continue to stay independent and really love and support others who are too, but I don’t shade people who aren’t either, because at the end of the day, we are all expressing what we are feeling.
8. Whose opinions on art do you actually care about?
Children. My favourite workshops are the ones with children, they bring so much life and freedom. They are always bringing interesting perspectives and also not afraid to tell you if your work is crap (to them).
9. What trend in art makes you roll your eyes?
All of them! I don’t watch trends - it gets boring, but also just be yourself, learn to get to know yourself, your likes and dislikes. Why does it matter what’s trending now? What’s that got to do with you and your practice? Why do you have to feed into it? I think it’s a little bit of a trap.
10. Who are the last three musical artists you listened to?
KeiyaA - Stupid Prizes, Duquesa - Purple Rain, and Joviale - HARK.
11. What's your favourite colour and why?
It changes all the time, but right now I’m really in my red era, again. Specifically, a cherry red, mixed with a touch of raspberry. Something about red right now for me feels energetic, smooth and warm.
12. You recently exhibited work at Rally Festival in South London - what did fans of yours get to see there?
It was big, bold and bad! I was excited to be showing those images from my archive #friendsonfilm at such a scale. It was hard to make a selection, but Haja Fanta, the curator, did an amazing job, I was really happy with it.
13. What can you tell us about your show that's currently on view at Auto Italia?
This show is really special, not just for me but for the people pictured in the show. It’s a love letter to my friends and honestly all the people I have met through photographing, dancing late at night into the morning, on dance floors across the world or maybe in my friend’s kitchen. This show marks three important moments, my first institutional solo, the 10th anniversary of my archive #friendsonfilm, and the nature of this work that celebrates Black queer and trans people on this scale. In a time that society does not reflect this, I think it’s important. I really just love us!
14. Which piece in the show took the longest to perfect and why?
I think the self-portrait at the end - it was hard to decide on this one. It was the last piece and image I had to decide on. I kept putting it aside while sorting the others with my curator, Milda and the team. For the others, I had such a big selection of images, but this one was the only one, and it was me. My work looks a lot to people around me, but it felt so nice to be able to include myself, especially because so many of the people in my life pour into me and my work. This image is really personal, as not only is it of me, but it’s me from such a different time than where I am now.
Self-portraits offer a lot of self-reflection for me. In this image, I was on a solo trip to Cuba, my first solo trip that wasn’t for work and my first trip outside after COVID-19 lockdowns. I needed space from London and, honestly, people. I needed time and space to sit with my grief. I also love the placement of the image in the show because when you get to the image, the plexiglass is reflective, so every time people take a picture of it, it’s me and them, as one, together. A nice reminder for me that I’m never alone.
15. What impression do you hope people get after seeing the show?
That they want to document their life more and the people around them, and for no other reason other than just because. We have lost that touch of documenting things just because we wanted to, or to remember we were here or because it’s just fun… I just want people to do more things because they want to and because they can. Imagine if 10 years ago I hadn’t bought that broken camera and used my terrible bartender pay cheque to buy film and experiment. Imagine that.
Welcome to 15 Questions With…, a new interview series in which art writer Gary Grimes picks the brains of artists, curators, and other creatives to understand what makes them tick through a series of quick-fire questions. This series aims to showcase the varying approaches creatives take to making art and how their relationships to the so-called art world differ, but also reveal what unites those responsible for the art we love.
Bernice Mulenga is a British-Congolese artist and photographer based in London. Mulenga’s practice seeks to archive, document and interrogate the world around them, primarily focusing on themselves, Black queer global and local communities, and the experiences found within them. Their work centres on bonds, kinship and the search for intimacy. This is exemplified in their ongoing photo series #friendsonfilm, a living archive that has been growing since 2015 and continues to evolve with time.
Mulenga’s recent exhibitions include Malembe, Malembe, Goswell Road, Paris (2025); Sending My Love To You, Baby, Haricot Gallery, London (2024); Conversations, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (2024); Pictures of Us, Gathering, London; The Makings of You, Modern Art Oxford (Photo Oxford); and Beautiful Experiments at Photo50 London Art Fair (all 2023), among many others.
Most recently, Mulenga was awarded the Circa Prize 2024, and their film Let’s Move On was featured on Piccadilly Lights in London and other international screens throughout September 2024. They currently have two shows on view in London - LMK WHEN U REACH at Auto Italia and In Bloom at Seed130. They also exhibited work at RALLY, an arts and music festival in Southwark Park in August.
1. What is your earliest memory of a work of art?
Artwork my mum had around the house, it was a mix of family photos, portraits of my mum in Congo and photos with a beautiful painting and inspiring quotes or something religious. We had one that was so beautiful. It was a painting of trees, butterflies, a pond with fishes - this one was my favourite.
2. Where do you turn to when you're in need of inspiration?
Nature, the club and listening to music while riding my bike - specifically heading nowhere! So much of my inspiration comes from listening, observing and feeling.
3. What do you like to do when you need to take a break from your practice?
Be horizontal, on the floor if possible.
4. Who is your favourite artist?
Too many to just pick one, but one of my (many) favourites is Ming Smith! Just look at the material. I also had the pleasure of meeting her and her son a few years ago, and we had a really lovely conversation, her words really stuck with me.
5. What's the biggest crime an artist can commit?
Not being true to themselves.
6. Which gallery or museum should everyone try to visit at least once in their life?
Niterói Contemporary Art Museum - just wow! I’m going back again this year.
7. What is the worst thing about the art world?
Everything. The fact that we even have an “art world” is jokes. People have turned it into this savage industry that can’t function without artists, but it treats them awfully. It’s so lame. I think this is why I continue to stay independent and really love and support others who are too, but I don’t shade people who aren’t either, because at the end of the day, we are all expressing what we are feeling.
8. Whose opinions on art do you actually care about?
Children. My favourite workshops are the ones with children, they bring so much life and freedom. They are always bringing interesting perspectives and also not afraid to tell you if your work is crap (to them).
9. What trend in art makes you roll your eyes?
All of them! I don’t watch trends - it gets boring, but also just be yourself, learn to get to know yourself, your likes and dislikes. Why does it matter what’s trending now? What’s that got to do with you and your practice? Why do you have to feed into it? I think it’s a little bit of a trap.
10. Who are the last three musical artists you listened to?
KeiyaA - Stupid Prizes, Duquesa - Purple Rain, and Joviale - HARK.
11. What's your favourite colour and why?
It changes all the time, but right now I’m really in my red era, again. Specifically, a cherry red, mixed with a touch of raspberry. Something about red right now for me feels energetic, smooth and warm.
12. You recently exhibited work at Rally Festival in South London - what did fans of yours get to see there?
It was big, bold and bad! I was excited to be showing those images from my archive #friendsonfilm at such a scale. It was hard to make a selection, but Haja Fanta, the curator, did an amazing job, I was really happy with it.
13. What can you tell us about your show that's currently on view at Auto Italia?
This show is really special, not just for me but for the people pictured in the show. It’s a love letter to my friends and honestly all the people I have met through photographing, dancing late at night into the morning, on dance floors across the world or maybe in my friend’s kitchen. This show marks three important moments, my first institutional solo, the 10th anniversary of my archive #friendsonfilm, and the nature of this work that celebrates Black queer and trans people on this scale. In a time that society does not reflect this, I think it’s important. I really just love us!
14. Which piece in the show took the longest to perfect and why?
I think the self-portrait at the end - it was hard to decide on this one. It was the last piece and image I had to decide on. I kept putting it aside while sorting the others with my curator, Milda and the team. For the others, I had such a big selection of images, but this one was the only one, and it was me. My work looks a lot to people around me, but it felt so nice to be able to include myself, especially because so many of the people in my life pour into me and my work. This image is really personal, as not only is it of me, but it’s me from such a different time than where I am now.
Self-portraits offer a lot of self-reflection for me. In this image, I was on a solo trip to Cuba, my first solo trip that wasn’t for work and my first trip outside after COVID-19 lockdowns. I needed space from London and, honestly, people. I needed time and space to sit with my grief. I also love the placement of the image in the show because when you get to the image, the plexiglass is reflective, so every time people take a picture of it, it’s me and them, as one, together. A nice reminder for me that I’m never alone.
15. What impression do you hope people get after seeing the show?
That they want to document their life more and the people around them, and for no other reason other than just because. We have lost that touch of documenting things just because we wanted to, or to remember we were here or because it’s just fun… I just want people to do more things because they want to and because they can. Imagine if 10 years ago I hadn’t bought that broken camera and used my terrible bartender pay cheque to buy film and experiment. Imagine that.
Welcome to 15 Questions With…, a new interview series in which art writer Gary Grimes picks the brains of artists, curators, and other creatives to understand what makes them tick through a series of quick-fire questions. This series aims to showcase the varying approaches creatives take to making art and how their relationships to the so-called art world differ, but also reveal what unites those responsible for the art we love.
Bernice Mulenga is a British-Congolese artist and photographer based in London. Mulenga’s practice seeks to archive, document and interrogate the world around them, primarily focusing on themselves, Black queer global and local communities, and the experiences found within them. Their work centres on bonds, kinship and the search for intimacy. This is exemplified in their ongoing photo series #friendsonfilm, a living archive that has been growing since 2015 and continues to evolve with time.
Mulenga’s recent exhibitions include Malembe, Malembe, Goswell Road, Paris (2025); Sending My Love To You, Baby, Haricot Gallery, London (2024); Conversations, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (2024); Pictures of Us, Gathering, London; The Makings of You, Modern Art Oxford (Photo Oxford); and Beautiful Experiments at Photo50 London Art Fair (all 2023), among many others.
Most recently, Mulenga was awarded the Circa Prize 2024, and their film Let’s Move On was featured on Piccadilly Lights in London and other international screens throughout September 2024. They currently have two shows on view in London - LMK WHEN U REACH at Auto Italia and In Bloom at Seed130. They also exhibited work at RALLY, an arts and music festival in Southwark Park in August.
1. What is your earliest memory of a work of art?
Artwork my mum had around the house, it was a mix of family photos, portraits of my mum in Congo and photos with a beautiful painting and inspiring quotes or something religious. We had one that was so beautiful. It was a painting of trees, butterflies, a pond with fishes - this one was my favourite.
2. Where do you turn to when you're in need of inspiration?
Nature, the club and listening to music while riding my bike - specifically heading nowhere! So much of my inspiration comes from listening, observing and feeling.
3. What do you like to do when you need to take a break from your practice?
Be horizontal, on the floor if possible.
4. Who is your favourite artist?
Too many to just pick one, but one of my (many) favourites is Ming Smith! Just look at the material. I also had the pleasure of meeting her and her son a few years ago, and we had a really lovely conversation, her words really stuck with me.
5. What's the biggest crime an artist can commit?
Not being true to themselves.
6. Which gallery or museum should everyone try to visit at least once in their life?
Niterói Contemporary Art Museum - just wow! I’m going back again this year.
7. What is the worst thing about the art world?
Everything. The fact that we even have an “art world” is jokes. People have turned it into this savage industry that can’t function without artists, but it treats them awfully. It’s so lame. I think this is why I continue to stay independent and really love and support others who are too, but I don’t shade people who aren’t either, because at the end of the day, we are all expressing what we are feeling.
8. Whose opinions on art do you actually care about?
Children. My favourite workshops are the ones with children, they bring so much life and freedom. They are always bringing interesting perspectives and also not afraid to tell you if your work is crap (to them).
9. What trend in art makes you roll your eyes?
All of them! I don’t watch trends - it gets boring, but also just be yourself, learn to get to know yourself, your likes and dislikes. Why does it matter what’s trending now? What’s that got to do with you and your practice? Why do you have to feed into it? I think it’s a little bit of a trap.
10. Who are the last three musical artists you listened to?
KeiyaA - Stupid Prizes, Duquesa - Purple Rain, and Joviale - HARK.
11. What's your favourite colour and why?
It changes all the time, but right now I’m really in my red era, again. Specifically, a cherry red, mixed with a touch of raspberry. Something about red right now for me feels energetic, smooth and warm.
12. You recently exhibited work at Rally Festival in South London - what did fans of yours get to see there?
It was big, bold and bad! I was excited to be showing those images from my archive #friendsonfilm at such a scale. It was hard to make a selection, but Haja Fanta, the curator, did an amazing job, I was really happy with it.
13. What can you tell us about your show that's currently on view at Auto Italia?
This show is really special, not just for me but for the people pictured in the show. It’s a love letter to my friends and honestly all the people I have met through photographing, dancing late at night into the morning, on dance floors across the world or maybe in my friend’s kitchen. This show marks three important moments, my first institutional solo, the 10th anniversary of my archive #friendsonfilm, and the nature of this work that celebrates Black queer and trans people on this scale. In a time that society does not reflect this, I think it’s important. I really just love us!
14. Which piece in the show took the longest to perfect and why?
I think the self-portrait at the end - it was hard to decide on this one. It was the last piece and image I had to decide on. I kept putting it aside while sorting the others with my curator, Milda and the team. For the others, I had such a big selection of images, but this one was the only one, and it was me. My work looks a lot to people around me, but it felt so nice to be able to include myself, especially because so many of the people in my life pour into me and my work. This image is really personal, as not only is it of me, but it’s me from such a different time than where I am now.
Self-portraits offer a lot of self-reflection for me. In this image, I was on a solo trip to Cuba, my first solo trip that wasn’t for work and my first trip outside after COVID-19 lockdowns. I needed space from London and, honestly, people. I needed time and space to sit with my grief. I also love the placement of the image in the show because when you get to the image, the plexiglass is reflective, so every time people take a picture of it, it’s me and them, as one, together. A nice reminder for me that I’m never alone.
15. What impression do you hope people get after seeing the show?
That they want to document their life more and the people around them, and for no other reason other than just because. We have lost that touch of documenting things just because we wanted to, or to remember we were here or because it’s just fun… I just want people to do more things because they want to and because they can. Imagine if 10 years ago I hadn’t bought that broken camera and used my terrible bartender pay cheque to buy film and experiment. Imagine that.
Welcome to 15 Questions With…, a new interview series in which art writer Gary Grimes picks the brains of artists, curators, and other creatives to understand what makes them tick through a series of quick-fire questions. This series aims to showcase the varying approaches creatives take to making art and how their relationships to the so-called art world differ, but also reveal what unites those responsible for the art we love.
Bernice Mulenga is a British-Congolese artist and photographer based in London. Mulenga’s practice seeks to archive, document and interrogate the world around them, primarily focusing on themselves, Black queer global and local communities, and the experiences found within them. Their work centres on bonds, kinship and the search for intimacy. This is exemplified in their ongoing photo series #friendsonfilm, a living archive that has been growing since 2015 and continues to evolve with time.
Mulenga’s recent exhibitions include Malembe, Malembe, Goswell Road, Paris (2025); Sending My Love To You, Baby, Haricot Gallery, London (2024); Conversations, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (2024); Pictures of Us, Gathering, London; The Makings of You, Modern Art Oxford (Photo Oxford); and Beautiful Experiments at Photo50 London Art Fair (all 2023), among many others.
Most recently, Mulenga was awarded the Circa Prize 2024, and their film Let’s Move On was featured on Piccadilly Lights in London and other international screens throughout September 2024. They currently have two shows on view in London - LMK WHEN U REACH at Auto Italia and In Bloom at Seed130. They also exhibited work at RALLY, an arts and music festival in Southwark Park in August.
1. What is your earliest memory of a work of art?
Artwork my mum had around the house, it was a mix of family photos, portraits of my mum in Congo and photos with a beautiful painting and inspiring quotes or something religious. We had one that was so beautiful. It was a painting of trees, butterflies, a pond with fishes - this one was my favourite.
2. Where do you turn to when you're in need of inspiration?
Nature, the club and listening to music while riding my bike - specifically heading nowhere! So much of my inspiration comes from listening, observing and feeling.
3. What do you like to do when you need to take a break from your practice?
Be horizontal, on the floor if possible.
4. Who is your favourite artist?
Too many to just pick one, but one of my (many) favourites is Ming Smith! Just look at the material. I also had the pleasure of meeting her and her son a few years ago, and we had a really lovely conversation, her words really stuck with me.
5. What's the biggest crime an artist can commit?
Not being true to themselves.
6. Which gallery or museum should everyone try to visit at least once in their life?
Niterói Contemporary Art Museum - just wow! I’m going back again this year.
7. What is the worst thing about the art world?
Everything. The fact that we even have an “art world” is jokes. People have turned it into this savage industry that can’t function without artists, but it treats them awfully. It’s so lame. I think this is why I continue to stay independent and really love and support others who are too, but I don’t shade people who aren’t either, because at the end of the day, we are all expressing what we are feeling.
8. Whose opinions on art do you actually care about?
Children. My favourite workshops are the ones with children, they bring so much life and freedom. They are always bringing interesting perspectives and also not afraid to tell you if your work is crap (to them).
9. What trend in art makes you roll your eyes?
All of them! I don’t watch trends - it gets boring, but also just be yourself, learn to get to know yourself, your likes and dislikes. Why does it matter what’s trending now? What’s that got to do with you and your practice? Why do you have to feed into it? I think it’s a little bit of a trap.
10. Who are the last three musical artists you listened to?
KeiyaA - Stupid Prizes, Duquesa - Purple Rain, and Joviale - HARK.
11. What's your favourite colour and why?
It changes all the time, but right now I’m really in my red era, again. Specifically, a cherry red, mixed with a touch of raspberry. Something about red right now for me feels energetic, smooth and warm.
12. You recently exhibited work at Rally Festival in South London - what did fans of yours get to see there?
It was big, bold and bad! I was excited to be showing those images from my archive #friendsonfilm at such a scale. It was hard to make a selection, but Haja Fanta, the curator, did an amazing job, I was really happy with it.
13. What can you tell us about your show that's currently on view at Auto Italia?
This show is really special, not just for me but for the people pictured in the show. It’s a love letter to my friends and honestly all the people I have met through photographing, dancing late at night into the morning, on dance floors across the world or maybe in my friend’s kitchen. This show marks three important moments, my first institutional solo, the 10th anniversary of my archive #friendsonfilm, and the nature of this work that celebrates Black queer and trans people on this scale. In a time that society does not reflect this, I think it’s important. I really just love us!
14. Which piece in the show took the longest to perfect and why?
I think the self-portrait at the end - it was hard to decide on this one. It was the last piece and image I had to decide on. I kept putting it aside while sorting the others with my curator, Milda and the team. For the others, I had such a big selection of images, but this one was the only one, and it was me. My work looks a lot to people around me, but it felt so nice to be able to include myself, especially because so many of the people in my life pour into me and my work. This image is really personal, as not only is it of me, but it’s me from such a different time than where I am now.
Self-portraits offer a lot of self-reflection for me. In this image, I was on a solo trip to Cuba, my first solo trip that wasn’t for work and my first trip outside after COVID-19 lockdowns. I needed space from London and, honestly, people. I needed time and space to sit with my grief. I also love the placement of the image in the show because when you get to the image, the plexiglass is reflective, so every time people take a picture of it, it’s me and them, as one, together. A nice reminder for me that I’m never alone.
15. What impression do you hope people get after seeing the show?
That they want to document their life more and the people around them, and for no other reason other than just because. We have lost that touch of documenting things just because we wanted to, or to remember we were here or because it’s just fun… I just want people to do more things because they want to and because they can. Imagine if 10 years ago I hadn’t bought that broken camera and used my terrible bartender pay cheque to buy film and experiment. Imagine that.
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