Bernice Mulenga is a British-Congolese photographer with a distinct aptitude for archiving, documenting and interrogating the world around them.

Their work centres around the search for intimacy.

Primarily looking at themselves, the Black queer global/local community and the experiences found within them. This can be found in their ongoing photo series #friendsonfilm. 

An archive that has been growing since 2015 and continues to shape with time.

Their work is an exploration of reoccurring themes surrounding movement, identity, sexuality, grief, darkness, bonds and kin.

 

Based in London and Paris.

Available for commissions & 

exhibitions.


Contact: bernicemulenga@gmail.com

Instagram: @burneece

Self-portrait of artist Bernice Mulenga. They are looking down, their hair is blue, they are wearing a black and white top. You can see two chains around their neck, one has the letter be in gold and the other is of a cowrie shell.

Finding A Way Out, Self Portrait. 2020

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Exhibitions:

Pictures Of Us, Gathering, London, 2023. Curated by Lewis Dalton Gilbert.

Open Eye Gallery. Homotopia Festival, Liverpool, 2023.

The Makings of You Modern Art Oxford as part of Photo Oxford, 2023

Beautiful Experiments Curated by Pelumi Odubanjo & Katy Barron at Photo50 London Art Fair, 2023

Children Of The Diaspora by Pacheanne Anderson Gallery at 1:54 Art Fair, 2022

We Get To Choose  Our Families Group show at Whitechapel Art Gallery, 2022

The Reading Room Selected prints as display for Prim Black, 2022

MOVE/002 Group show curated by Fynn Studio, 2022

Imagining Otherwise Group show at The WHO Gallery, 2022

Between Me And You Debut solo show at HOME, 2022

The Rebel Dykes Art & Archive Show Group show curated by Atalanta Kernick & Kat Hudson at Space Station Sixty Five, 2021

Blacklisted: An Indefinite Revolution Group show curated by Pacheanne Anderson at Christies. 2020

Dancing in Peckham Group show curated by Photoworks & Jamila Prowse at Peckham 24 festival. 2019

Afropunk London Installation of #friendsonfilm and polaroid pop up portraits. 2018

Afropunk New York Installation of #friendsofilm curated by BBZ. 2018

A La Maison An interactive workshop with Joy Yamusangie as part of I'm Home exhibition curated by Ronan Mckenzie at Blank 100. 2018

Friay Late: Snap A solo display of #friendsonfilm archive. 2018

Hear Our Voices Documenting London Living – A Photographic Showcase by Gal Dem X House of Vans, 2018

Selected Print/Reads:

Cult Classics,
Service To Memory, 2024

On Between Me & You by Monique Todd, 2022

PHOTOWORKS Annual 26, Chain Reaction. 2020

This Is An Art Book, Issue 1. 2019

TIME OUT Cover. 2019

PHOTOWORKS Annual 25 Back cover and article by Jamila Prowse. 2019

WEPRESENT, There’s no limit to our culture. 2019

The Move Mag, Issue 5. 2018

British Vogue, Google Pixel. 2017


Selected Appearances: 
Hodari, Urias- Codinome Exagerado. 2024
Neo Gender, Directed by Emannuelle Soffé. 2020
Harpers Bazaar, Cultural Forces as a part of BBZ collective. 2020
Dyo - Go All The Way, Directed by Mahaneela. 2019
The Muse, directed by Anna Fearon. 2019

Selected Talks:

Remembering Songs by/in conversation with Jim C Nedd at Tender Books, 2024

Gushing With Gabby: Queer On The Dance Floor, 2024

International Curators ForumLiving Archives: Intergenerational Conversations Between Artists, Ep 4. Ajamu and Bernice Mulenga, 2023

Holding Up The Ladder, Salon Series 1, 2023

The Politics of Art & Social Change: Rights in Focus Conference. Autograph Gallery, Ajamu, Bernice Mulenga & Jason Okundaye. 2023

Sensing the Image: Photographers in ConversationThis conversation was part of the public programme for Ajamu: Archival Sensoria curated by Languid Hands as part of their fellowship programme No Real Closure. 2021

Inferno Summit: A creatives’ guide to surviving the pandemic with Furmaan Ahmed, Rene Matíc, Sinéad O’Dwyd and Bernice Mulenga chaired by ShayShay Konno. Curated by Lewis G. Burton. 2020

BBC 1XTRA, #BHMVisualHistories, 2019

Photoworks X Offprint,  Bernice Mulenga > noiamreiss > Nabila Roubah. Tate Modern. 2019

Friday Late: Snap, in conversation with Ellen Morrison at the V&A. 2018

Using Format