Victor Sonna’s (Cameroon/Netherlands) artistic practice is closely intertwined with his personal history: negotiating between Cameroon and the Netherlands means he is always occupied with the struggle of holding onto his African roots on the one hand and integrating into his European home on the other. This duality runs like a thread through all his work. Where both worlds and continents collide is something he explores in paintings, sculptures and large-scale installations. 

During Victor’s time at Delfina, he will examine the fragmentation of the African continent—a phenomenon more commonly known as the Scramble for Africa: a rapid and violent wave of colonisation that left deep and lasting traces across the continent’s social, economic, and political landscapes. More specifically, he will focus on the colonial rule and its aftermath in Cameroon. During the residency at Delfina, he would like to further explore the divisions between regions and the role that France, and Britain in particular, have played in this. 

 Victor Sonna studied at the Design Academy in Eindhoven before transferring to the AKV | St. Joost towards autonomous art. His work is included in the collections of the Hartwig Art Foundation, Amsterdam (NL), Centraal Museum, Utrecht (NL), the Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven (NL) and various private collections internationally. Recently, his work has been shown in solo exhibitions at EENWERK Gallery (2024), the Van Abbemuseum (2020-2022) and the Dak’Art Biennale (2022). In 2024, he was commissioned to create a new work for Threads from our Dutch Slavery Past. 

Victor was born in Cameroon and migrated to the Netherlands at a young age. He lives and works in Eindhoven, the Netherlands and Africa.

With support from:

Mondriaan Fonds

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Please note all artist-in-residence biographies are accurate at the time of their residency. For up-to-date bios please visit the artist’s website.