Wednesday – Sunday: 11:00a.m. – 5:00p.m.
In finding rest, Congolese-born artist, educator, and filmmaker Joel Mulindwa presents a moving exploration of labor, dignity, and the often-overlooked humanity of workers. Through a series of richly rendered figurative drawings and still-life studies, the exhibition invites viewers to consider the emotional and physical realities that exist behind everyday acts of work and service.
Mulindwa’s portraits depict workers within their places of employment, captured not in moments of productivity, but in moments of pause. Seated, reclining, or lost in thought, these figures are afforded a rare visibility that challenges conventional notions of value and success. By focusing on rest rather than labor itself, the artist highlights the resilience, vulnerability, and complexity of those whose work often remains unseen.
Complementing these portraits are studies of tip jars—ordinary objects transformed into powerful symbols of recognition, compensation, and worth. Together, the works examine how value is assigned within contemporary labor systems and encourage reflection on the invisible negotiations that shape daily life.
Drawing inspiration from his own experiences in essential labor roles, Mulindwa approaches rest as more than recovery. Within the exhibition, rest becomes an act of reflection, restoration, and quiet resistance. Influenced by traditions ranging from Impressionism to Socialist Realism, finding rest elevates everyday experiences into thoughtful meditations on work, identity, and the human need for care.
Timely and deeply empathetic, finding rest offers a powerful reminder that behind every task, transaction, and service is a person deserving of recognition, dignity, and space to simply be.
About Joel Mulindwa
Joel Mulindwa (b.1996, Nyakunde, Democratic Republic of Congo) strives to present things that are beautiful and chaotic. From the context of chaos, he explores the subject of war and displacement and highlights the participants (victims or perpetrators) in these environments. From within the context of beauty, he highlights things that he finds pleasant and appealing.
His medium ranges from painting with oil on various surfaces to watercolor and simple ink drawings. Stylistically, he works within the realms of both abstract and realism, frequently interchanging methods to produce a diverse body of work.
