Come to the opening of his remarkable photo exhibition Mémoire on Friday, 27 August 2010 at 5 p.m.
This socially critical artist mercilessly lays bare the destructive influence exploitative cultures have had on the nature and society of the Congo. He places black & white archive images of exploited Congolese workers in today’s ravaged landscapes, where colonial rulers once shamelessly chased their desire for profit, without the slightest respect for the consequences. In 2009, Sammy Baloji was awarded a Prince Claus Award for his powerful work.
Sammy Baloji was born in Lubumbashi, in Katanga province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in 1978. He still lives and works in his hometown, where he is also a member of local artists’ association, the Vicanos Club. He also obtained doctoral degrees in the arts and social sciences from the university there. Sammy Baloji started out drawing cartoons, later moving into photography and video. He has dedicated many works in these media to Katanga’s culture, as well as the colonial legacy in DR Congo.
Ethnography, architecture and urbanism are themes that constantly recur in his work – the filters through which he analyses African history and identity.
Opening times:
28 Aug to 8 Sept
Saturday: 1 p.m. – 8.30 p.m.
Sunday: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Monday: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Tuesday - Friday: 10 a.m. – 8.30 p.m.
9 Sept to 12 Sept
Thursday & Friday: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday: 1 p.m. – 10 p.m.
FREE ENTRANCE
This exhibition is part of Allez Congo: a festival in de Brakke Grond and De Balie focusing on the cooperation between Belgium and the Congo, between artists and others, fifty years after the advent of Congolese independence. http://www.brakkegrond.nl/KalenderDetail.aspx?calID=422018