MEG, Musée d'ethnographie de Genève
- Boulevard Carl-Vogt 65, 1205 Geneve
- Kalonji
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Kalonji
Jean-Philippe Kalonji was born in Geneva in 1973 to a family originally from the Congo. After working and living in New York, London and Japan, he returned to Geneva, where he currently lives.
Painter, illustrator and author of graphic novels, he is an artist with a multi-faceted profile, who mixes work in graphite, neopastel, ink, but also acrylic or watercolour, without ever denying himself anything. His works reflect the artist’s humanist visions, making him a committed player. His humanitarian and societal frescoes, on subjects such as feminicide, war crimes, migrants, slavery, the North-South imbalance and terrorism, have enabled him to collaborate for many years with the newspaper Le Temps, and to work alongside Swiss institutions, NGOs and international organisations such as Présence Suisse, the ICRC, the UNHCR, Civitas Maxima, ICAN and Education Cannot Wait. A lover of classical and Japanese painting, he is an ambassador for the Caran d’Ache brand.
A permanent resident of the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire de Genève, he has also been commissioned on several occasions by the Musée d’ethnographie de Genève, notably for its exhibitions ‘La fabrique des contes’ (2019), and most recently ‘Mémoires, Genève dans le monde colonial’ (2024).
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The apple, a fruit universally associated with sharing, generosity and knowledge, becomes here a powerful symbol of unity. It embodies mutual aid and the idea that, all together, in the four corners of the world, we can build a future based on solidarity, respect and benevolence. It invites us to reach out to others, to overcome our differences, and to work together to create a world that is fairer, more humane and more deeply united.
The MEG, Musée d’ethnographie de Genève, is a museum resolutely focused on major societal and environmental issues on a global scale. Major issues such as decolonisation, collaborative dynamics and sustainability are at the heart of its mission and vision.
With over 75,000 objects and some 200,000 books and documents – iconographic, holographic, audiovisual and sound – its collections form a living link between MEG and the bearers of cultures from all five continents.