Fleuri La Belle: Afrofuturism and Congo's Cosmology in Jewelry (2024)

Evangelista Sie & Zeb Ngobese

Growing up in a village with no other people of color except her sister, Fleuri finds herself questioning her identity: What is the other part of me, the Congolese part? What is their religion or spirituality? She discovers answers in powerful rituals, amulets, and symbols of the Congolese Cosmology from the Bakongo people. While translating these findings into modern jewelry, Fleuri finds strength in her identity, realizing that from this sense of duality emerges something entirely unique.

Fleuri La Belle (she/her), a contemporary jewelry designer, debuted with "Embracing Black" at ArtEZ Arnhem in 2022. Notable exhibitions of her collections include Glue Amsterdam, NYC Jewelry Week, Museum Arnhem, and Nieuwe Instituut Rotterdam. Her work is deeply rooted in Congolese spirituality, blending tradition with modernity.