As the Democratic Republic of Congo pushes deep into the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, one Atlanta artist has spent the tournament translating that national moment into paint. Raphael Bahindwa, a Congolese-born painter who earned his B.F.A. at SCAD Atlanta in 2022, has two concurrent shows on view downtown and in Sweet Auburn, both aimed at bearing witness to his homeland and the African youth chasing a place on the global pitch.
His solo exhibition “Dreamer” opened this summer inside the lobby of the Rialto Center for the Arts, on view through mid-July. The show gathers new acrylic and oil paintings of young footballers alongside portraits of Pelé and Maradona and a parallel series of Congolese wildlife and landscapes. It is a personal argument for the sport as a vehicle for aspiration, made by an artist for whom Atlanta has become both studio and stage.
Bahindwa is also one of more than 20 artists featured in “This Is Atlanta,” a group exhibition running across two floors of The Sun ATL, a contemporary gallery in Sweet Auburn. His contribution is a set of 11 circular acrylic paintings of official FIFA World Cup match balls — a continuation of a body of work he calls “Little Kings and Queens.” “Through this current project, I aim to bring greater awareness to African youth who carry the dream of one day becoming professional football players and achieving success on a global stage,” Bahindwa said.
The past week put that message in front of diplomats and fans in equal measure. On June 26, Bahindwa presented his work at the Rialto during the US–DRC Strategic Partnership Forum, with DR Congo Ambassador Yvette Nandu in attendance. A day later he was in the stands at Mercedes-Benz Stadium as DR Congo beat Uzbekistan 3–1 to advance to the knockout stage. “It was a truly special and historic experience,” he said.
On July 1, DR Congo faced England in the Round of 32 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Bahindwa was in the crowd. His paintings, meanwhile, stayed on downtown walls — a quieter parallel to the noise on the pitch, and a reminder that Atlanta’s World Cup story is being told in more mediums than television broadcasts and Fan Fest wristbands.
Original reporting: Sherri Daye Scott (Rough Draft Atlanta)