Art Republic Of Kongo

Born to Vietnamese and French parents, Paris-based Kongo has grown from street graffiti artist to darling of the luxury world, with his letter-based art adorning everything from fashion and airplanes to luggage and stoves. Now, the self-taught artist is returning to his roots with creative platforms in Southeast Asia

- Nina Starr

Describing himself as a “true citizen of the world”, Kongo is a regular visitor to Asia. Born in Toulouse in 1969 to a Vietnamese father and French mother, Cyril Phan spent much of his early childhood in Vietnam until the war ended in 1975, and later lived for several years in the Republic of Congo, which inspired his artist name, Cyril Kongo.

An early proponent of the Parisian graffiti art scene who earned a reputation for his pictorial alphabets reconciling painting and writing, the self-taught artist spent decades painting in the streets. More recently, though, his art has decorated everything from walls and canvases to clothing, jewellery, bags and luggage, as well as a champagne bottle, kitchenware, automobile and even an airplane.

Kongo’s ability to appropriate an everyday object and transform it into a work of art has made him a favourite of the luxury world and a collaborator with French brands like Richard Mille, Hermès, Chanel, Daum and La Cornue. Now, his focus has shifted to his Asian heritage as he sets up an atelier-showroom in Singapore and a boutique gallery in Hanoi to highlight traditional Southeast Asian crafts.

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