THE PROJECT



UNMANNED | UNKNOWN | UNNAMED PRINTS



On commission of the great patron Lt. Joe Negro.

In support for the passed on, exiled, retired, clinging, climbing, cloistered, and beleaguered Fathers of many.

The Dictator's Garden



The Dictator’s Garden
Muammar Gaddafi



The Dictator’s Garden
Kim Jong-un



The Dictator’s Garden
Robert Mugabe



The Dictator’s Garden
Every Woman is Queen





LT. JOE NEGRO



PATRON






MULUMBA


The Artist: Mulumba is Congolese-born, schooled in Canada, and currently based in the UK. Often featuring vibrant colours - birds, flowers and iconic faces - his work aims to titillate and provoke thought. He approaches each piece with a dreamlike vision. Each piece interrogates the beauty and contradictions of la folie humaine.



The DICTATOR'S GARDEN


The Dictator’s Garden is a series of notorious emblematic figures, historical and contemporary, portrayed in romanticized settings, bursting with hopeful colour. Famous as monsters, here they appear before the audience softened and humanized; beautified, surrounded by flowers, and butterflies; brilliant tones, and fragile textures; contextualized by absurd and poetic excerpts. Like a garden with its petals and thorns, there is a spectrum of good and evil within us all. The goal of The Dictator’s Garden is to organically raise uncomfortable questions within the mind of the viewer. These questions swirl around a foundation of the human psyche: The Authoritarian Drive.



The PROJECT


The coffee table book, The Dictator’s Garden, showcases notorious authoritarian figures, historical and contemporary, such as: Robert Mugabe, Kim Jong-un, Muammar Gaddafi, Queen Elizabeth II, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Donald J. Trump, Mao Zedong, Eva Braun, Vladimir Putin, to name a few of those selected for portraiture. These are depicted in romanticized contexts, bursting with hopeful colour. Echoing an ongoing climate of populism and tribal identity, when our prejudices are being fed or challenged by fear and extremisms, this is Mulumba’s attempt to make the world a better place by suggesting we might face our standing monsters, no matter on which side of the surface debates we fall. Paintings to raise an instinctive discomfort, beginning a rational definition of this discomfort, to motivate a dialogue, about the root causes of “evil”, and encourage our ability to internalize the idea that we are the only effective fertilizer. The collection of paintings The Dictator’s Garden is buttressed by prose and illustrations on the theme, by self-trained artist Mulumba Tshikuka. It will be published in a high-quality, high-design, hardbound coffee table book format, and will include gorgeous illustrations, irreverent essays, and pieces of surrealist prose and poetry. Every purchase on this Shop is an opportunity to pre-order a signed and numbered copy from a limited edition first pressing books, and contribute to furthering this project. This project strives to organically raise uncomfortable questions within the mind of the viewer, around a foundation of the human psyche: The Authoritarian Drive.



THE SUPPORTER REWARDS



We would like you to be part of The Dictator’s Garden photo book project.

Everything helps. Even a small contribution gets Mulumba and the project closer to the goal of publishing the book.

Hence, he is offering some of the paintings that will be featured in the book in special prints, including postcards, the book, archival posters, fine art prints and more.

The sample images of the rewards include:



SUPPORT OF $10 OR MORE
Help the Project

Muammar Gaddafi PERSONAL Postcard



Receive a 4IN X 4IN postcard of »The Dictator’s Garden« – Muammar Gaddafi UNMANNED, from the book, with a personal note.


ESTIMATED DELIVERY: 3-5 weeks


SHIPPED TO: Anywhere in the world, five dollars flat



10

SUPPORT

SUPPORT OF $10 OR MORE HELP THE PROJECT

KIM JONG-UN PERSONAL POSTCARD



Receive a 4IN X 4IN postcard of »The Dictator’s Garden« – Kim Jong-Un UNKNOWN, from the book, with a personal note.


ESTIMATED DELIVERY: 3-5 weeks


SHIPPED TO: Anywhere in the world, five dollars flat



10

SUPPORT

SUPPORT OF $10 OR MORE HELP THE PROJECT

ROBERT MUGABE PERSONAL POSTCARD



Receive a 4IN X 4IN postcard of »The Dictator’s Garden« – Robert Mugabe UNTITLED, from the book, with a personal note.


ESTIMATED DELIVERY: 3-5 weeks


SHIPPED TO: Anywhere in the world, five dollars flat



10

SUPPORT

SUPPORT OF $10 OR MORE HELP THE PROJECT

EVERY WOMAN IS QUEEN PERSONAL POSTCARD



Receive a 4IN X 4IN postcard of »The Dictator’s Garden« – Every Woman Is Queen, from the book, with a personal note.


ESTIMATED DELIVERY: 3-5 weeks


SHIPPED TO: Anywhere in the world, five dollars flat



10

SUPPORT

SUPPORT OF $5 OR MORE HELP THE PROJECT

THANK YOU POSTCARD



Anything helps. Even a small contribution gets the project closer to the goal of publishing the book.


You receive a 4IN X 4IN Thank You Postcard of an image from the book (dealer's choice).


ESTIMATED DELIVERY: 3-5 weeks


SHIPPED TO: Anywhere in the world, five dollars flat



5

SUPPORT

Support of $45 or more
SUPPORT THE PROJECT

Set of Twenty Postcards



Receive a set of twenty 4IN X 4IN postcards from »The Dictator’s Garden« – Muammar Gaddafi, Kim Jong-un, Robert Mugabe, Every Woman Is Queen, from the book, with a personal note.


ESTIMATED DELIVERY: 3-5 weeks


SHIPPED TO: Anywhere in the world, five dollars flat



45

SUPPORT

Support of $85 or more
BACK THE PROJECT

Ltd. Edition Poster

»The Dictator’s Garden«
Muammar Gaddafi



»The Dictator’s Garden« – Muammar Gaddafi Limited Edition Poster 32X40IN image from the book.


Beautifully printed on 250g/m² matte paper, this poster is collectable art.

& a personal note of thanks.


ESTIMATED DELIVERY: 3-5 weeks


SHIPPED TO: Anywhere in the world, five dollars flat



85

SUPPORT

SUPPORT OF $85 OR MORE
BACK THE PROJECT

LTD. EDITION POSTER

»THE DICTATOR’S GARDEN«KIM JONG-UN



»The Dictator’s Garden« – Kim Jong-Un Limited Edition Poster 32X40IN image from the book.


Beautifully printed on 250g/m² matte paper, this poster is collectable art.

& a personal note of thanks.


ESTIMATED DELIVERY: 3-5 weeks


SHIPPED TO: Anywhere in the world, five dollars flat



85

SUPPORT

SUPPORT OF $85 OR MORE
BACK THE PROJECT

LTD. EDITION POSTER

»THE DICTATOR’S GARDEN«
ROBERT MUGABE



»The Dictator’s Garden« – Robert Mugabe Limited Edition Poster 32X40IN image from the book.


Beautifully printed on 250g/m² matte paper, this poster is collectable art.

& a personal note of thanks.


ESTIMATED DELIVERY: 3-5 weeks


SHIPPED TO: Anywhere in the world, five dollars flat



85

SUPPORT

SUPPORT OF $85 OR MORE
BACK THE PROJECT

LTD. EDITION POSTER

»THE DICTATOR’S GARDEN«
EVERY WOMAN IS QUEEN



»The Dictator’s Garden« – Every Woman Is Queen Limited Edition Poster 32X40IN image from the book.


Beautifully printed on 250g/m² matte paper, this poster is collectable art.

& a personal note of thanks.


ESTIMATED DELIVERY: 3-5 weeks


SHIPPED TO: Anywhere in the world, five dollars flat



85

SUPPORT

Support of $150 or more
PATRONIZE THE PROJECT

The Book: The Dictator’s Garden



Receive a first edition, hardcover copy of the book.


Your copy will be personally numbered & signed, and you will receive a signed thank-you postcard from »The Dictator’s Garden« – Every Woman Is Queen.


ESTIMATED DELIVERY: July 2019


SHIPPED TO: Anywhere in the world, five dollars flat



150

SUPPORT

SUPPORT OF $150 OR MORE
PROSTELYTIZE THE PROJECT

TWO BOOKS: THE DICTATOR’S GARDEN

ONE TO KEEP, ONE TO SHARE



Receive a pair of first edition, hardcover copies of the book.


Your books will be personally numbered & signed, and you will receive a signed thank-you postcard from »The Dictator’s Garden« – Every Woman Is Queen, as well as a blank, in case you'd like to gift »The Dictator’s Garden« and spread flowers in your garden.


ESTIMATED DELIVERY: July 2019


SHIPPED TO: Anywhere in the world, five dollars flat



225

SUPPORT

Pledge $500 or more

SPECIAL EDITION HARDBOUND »THE DICTATOR’S GARDEN« BOOK

Contact us directly for details on the Special Edition Book (Edition of FIVE)



The special edition of »The Dictator’s Garden« is limited to five unique hardbound books, and are numbered and signed.

These are fully finished prototypes of the book, and will include creative experiments unique to these five pieces, which will not be found in the final first edition.

Thread binding hardcover clothbound.

Only this edition will come in a handmade black slipcase.


On top of all this, you’ll be mentioned as a supporter in the acknowledgement section of the book.


You will have this book at least two months before the actual release and, before the serfs and commoners.


Written language in this book will be English only.


ESTIMATED DELIVERY: May 2019


SHIPPED TO: Anywhere in the world, five dollars flat



500

SUPPORT

PROJECT DETAILS

»THE DICTATOR’S GARDEN«

Book Project TIMELINE

PRODUCTION GOAL: 25K



2016 - Ongoing: Painting for The Dictator’s Garden


2018 - Ongoing: Fundraiser for project development Fall


2018: Completion of Book Mock-up March/April


2019: Final layout and proof printing May/June


2019: Printing and binding June


2019: Book release July


2019: Shipping book reward



Your help is greatly appreciated, and all book orders here will be accompanied with a 4IN X 4IN personal thank you card.


Thank you for supporting this important project,


Lt. Joe Negro, patron-of-the-arts, bon-vivant


p.s.

If you would like to make any bespoke support arrangements, feel free to get in contact with the team.


CONTACT

The DICTATOR'S GARDEN



DETAILS OF THE BOOK






TEXT


MULUMBA Tshikuka and INSTANT BONSAï



CONTENT


160 pages, hardbound.

Paintings, photographs, collage, prose, poetry, illustrations, inaccurate infographics.

In English, and French editions.



DIMENSIONS


16IN X 16IN



EDIT & DESIGN


SATUR DAY NIGHT SPECIAL Design Agency, in collaboration with the artist.



YOUR PROJECT SUPPORT GOES TOWARD


The completion of The Dictator’s Garden, to perfection, as a high quality, hardbound coffee table book.

Special limited-edition print run, of The Dictator’s Garden, for early supporters.

Print run for publisher samples/indy book shop readings and sales.

Performance tour in support of book sales and distribution.

Marketing to mainstream publishers/distribution channels.

Licensing for Translation.



OTHER WAYS TO AID THE PROJECT



The second-best way to help the project is by sharing this page on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, your favourite social networks and share the message with your social circle. Your help and contributions are and will be greatly appreciated.




[ ]


The Dictator’s Garden Starve in the garden. We had fathers before democracy. We ask for a place in the world, before we are useful. We have power over us before we have power. We take power over The Other before we can risk challenging the power over us. So, we are wired to accept a father, and a Big Father. The gardener invites us in, and we come in, and the gate closes. It smells wonderful, and free, and we revel in the well-tended verdancy inside the walls. We are warned off the thorns. We are told of the chasing of pests, and the stinging things are swatted, and the snakes are whispered of. We are free from irritation, and we don’t ask where the fertilizer comes from. Eventually we become hungry. We start to suspect that the flowers are pungent, and not enough. We never see the bottom of the sunset, for the walls. We remember vegetables, and game; or, we hear something breathing like we used to, without labour, through an overgrown gate. We are hungry. We will be punished if we cook the flowers. We are very safe from snakes. We are very swaddled in vibrant reds, and blues, and smothering greens. So are poison dart frogs. So does the belly of a snake grow a grip around us, like a flourishing garden. So soft, and humid, and pungent, and stifling. Embraced by the gardens of dictators. The Dictator’s Garden is a series of paintings contemplating, and revelling in, the authoritarian drive present in the human condition. The series considers, and advocates for the seductive beauty in the instinct to subsume the difficult work of the considered life, in the easy answers of overbearing authority. This is meant as a provocation to the half pregnant audience. Mulumba’s fascination with authority, and its emblematic historical and contemporary figures, drove him to begin studies for this series over a decade ago. As human beings, we strive for, or simply rely on, authority, regardless of its stated goals. So long as a vision is communicated with clarity, we can be seduced by the ease of outsourced power, righteousness, manipulation, and dogma. Perhaps, we might face our need for monsters, to further a dialogue about the root cause of “evil”: Our weakness. Our “need”. Perhaps, once we begin to respond to the discomfort in The Dictator’s Garden, we will begin to develop our genuine and thoughtful opinions and beliefs.



The DICTATOR’S GARDEN IS AN ATTEMPT TO ENCOURAGE HUMANITY TO FACE ITS MONSTERS, TO FUTHER A DIALOGUE ABOUT THE ROOT CAUSE OF “EVIL”: ITS WEAKNESS. ITS “NEED”. OUR AUTHORITARIAN DRIVE.


Thank you for your interest and support.





MULUMBA





artist@mulumbatshikuka.com