Cedric Nzaka is a Congolese photographer and visual artist based in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. He is best known for his vibrant and powerful images that capture the beauty and complexity of life in his home country.
Nzaka was born in Kinshasa in 1988 and grew up surrounded by art, music, and culture. His father was a painter and his mother was a seamstress, so he was exposed to creative expression from an early age. He began taking photographs at the age of 15, using a borrowed camera to document the everyday life of his community.
In 2010, Nzaka enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kinshasa where he studied photography and visual arts. During this time, he developed an interest in documentary photography and began to focus on capturing the stories of people living in poverty or facing other social issues. His work has been featured in numerous exhibitions around the world, including at the Brooklyn Museum in New York City and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Nzaka’s work has been praised for its ability to capture both beauty and tragedy with equal power. He has said that he hopes his photographs will help people understand what it means to be Congolese and inspire them to take action against injustice.