KINSHASA (AFP).- Acclaimed Congolese photographer Kiripi Katembo Siku, known for his striking pictures of life reflected in puddles of water, died Wednesday at the age of 36.

Katembo Siku passed away at a university clinic in the Democratic Republic of Congo capital Kinshasa, said Christian Kisavu, communications manager at the local French Institute.

The cause of his death was not immediately clear, but designer and photographer Cedric Nzolo told AFP that Katembo Siku had suffered a health problem on Friday and then fell into a coma.

A lover of photography, video and painting, Katembo Siku had shown his work at the Venice Biennale, the Berlin International Film Festival and once designed the poster for the world renowned Avignon Festival in France.

His photos showing scenes of life in DR Congo, reflected in mirror-like puddles of water, are among his best known works. 

Some of the pictures are currently on display at the Cartier Foundation museum in Paris as part of a retrospective on Congolese painting, music, sculpture and photography.  

Katembo Siku's death prompted shock and sadness from other artists in Kinshasa.

"He was really in the prime of life, at the start of a great career in the arts," photographer Yves Sambu said. 

"He is someone who had delusions of grandeur. He was also a dreamer and a seller of dreams. But he was not an illusionist because, in the end, he managed to do what he wanted," he added.



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