Graciela Iturbide, Léonard Pongo and Lola Pertsowsky
3 new exhibitions at FOMU from 18 September 2026
On September 18, FOMU will open 3 new exhibitions. Come discover them during the press preview on Thursday, September 17, at 11 a.m.
Please RSVP to Isabelle and Sarah.
- Graciela Iturbide - Eyes to Fly With: first major retrospective of the work of renowned Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide in Belgium. Her work explores themes such as identity, social relationships and ephemerality.
- Léonard Pongo - Dialogue with the Source: Pongo has been photographing in the Democratic Republic of Congo for nearly 10 years. Using modified full-spectrum cameras, he captures wavelengths that are invisible to the human eye. His approach produces images that are colourful and sometimes uncanny. He has developed a spatial installation specially for FOMU combining photography, video and textiles. Léonard Pongo’s work is also on show at this year's Venice Biennale
- Lola Pertsowsky - In the Mother Tongue: Lola Pertsowsky invites us to see domestic life and the everyday through fresh eyes. This exhibition is part of the FOMU Grant programme.
Alderwoman for Culture Lien Van de Kelder: "From powerful images from Mexico, through the colorful experience of the Congolese landscape, to a surprising glimpse into everyday life. These 3 exhibitions invite us to look at the world, at each other, and at our surroundings in a different way. It’s impressive how FOMU continues to surprise us and broaden our horizons."
The FOMU curators and artists Léonard Pongo and Lola Pertsowsky will guide you through the exhibitions. You can interview the artists and curators before or after the press preview. Please request an interview in advance by contacting Isabelle Willems and Sarah Skoric.
Graciela Iturbide - Eyes to Fly With
18 September 2026 - 17 January 2027
Eyes to Fly With is the first major retrospective of the work of renowned Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide in Belgium. Her work explores themes such as identity, social relationships and ephemerality.
The title of the exhibition, Eyes to Fly With, is inspired by one of Iturbide’s self-portraits and refers to her vision of photography as a means of exploring both oneself and the world. For Iturbide, photography has an emancipatory quality, opening up new perspectives on reality.
In the exhibition, you will discover, among other things, the important societal and economic roles performed by women from the Zapotec community in Oaxaca. Graciela Iturbide breaks with traditional conceptions of gender by placing women at the heart of her work. In the series White Fence, she investigates how identity is a product of factors like ancestry, living conditions and migration, and how communities continue to evolve and adapt over time.
Iturbide depicts rituals, spirituality and the traditions that are a part of daily life – as in La Matanza, with its focus on slaughter and sacrifice, or her work on the Seri people. Also part of the exhibition are her intimate photos of Frida Kahlo's bathroom – sealed off, along with many of the painter's personal belongings, for fifty years after her death – and her rarely exhibited work from India and Bangladesh.
The exhibition has been developed in close consultation with the artist and comprises around 160 works, from iconic black-and-white photographs to rarely seen vintage prints, colour photos and contact prints. Together they offer a unique insight into over half a century of photographic work.
The exhibition was originally organized and produced by C/O Berlin Foundation in collaboration with the artist, curated by Sophia Greiff and Melissa Harris.
Press images
- Below you will find a selection of low-resolution press images.
- You may use a maximum of 3 images free of copyright in articles about the exhibition.
- Please request high-resolution images by contacting Isabelle and Sarah.
- The images may not be cropped.
- The copyright and caption of the images must be stated in full.
Interviews
Graciela Iturbide is available for interviews. Please contact Isabelle and Sarah to request an interview.
Léonard Pongo - Dialogue with the Source
18 September 2026 - 17 January 2027
What do you hear when you listen to the earth? Belgian-Congolese artist Léonard Pongo (1988) has been roaming the Democratic Republic of Congo for almost ten years, with this question in mind. He has developed a spatial installation specially for FOMU combining photography, video and textiles
Pongo’s work is rooted in Congolese traditions, symbolism and philosophy. More than just mapping the territory, he seeks to make the experience tangible. Using modified full-spectrum cameras, he captures wavelengths that are invisible to the human eye. His approach produces images that are colourful and sometimes uncanny. They reveal the richness of Congo's natural environment, while reminding us that our gaze is always partial and subjective.
Although people are absent from his photographs, the relationship between humans and the land lies at the heart of the work. During his journeys, Pongo collaborated with researchers and local communities whose stories and knowledge served as a key source of inspiration. A recurring motif is the banana tree a symbol of life, fertility and cyclical renewal.
Léonard Pongo’s work will be on show at this year's Venice Biennale and was previously exhibited at Tate Modern, London, and Biennale de Dakar, Senegal. In 2019 he participated in .tiff, FOMU’s platform for emerging talent. His work is also represented in the FOMU collection.
Dialogue with the Source is the result of Pongo’s artistic research at Thinking Tools at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. The installation was designed in collaboration with Johnny Leya (Traumnovelle) and produced by FOMU with support from Auguste Orts, Kristof De Clercq Gallery, Parc National de l’Upemba ICCN-FPF, Plena Productions, and the Flemish Community.
Watch the interview with Léonard Pongo about his new exhibition:
Press images
- Below you will find a selection of low-resolution press images and installation shots
- You may use a maximum of 3 press images and 3 installation shots free of copyright in articles about the exhibition.
- Please request high-resolution images by contacting Isabelle and Sarah.
- The images may not be cropped.
- The copyright and caption of the images must be stated in full.
Interviews
Léonard Pongo is available for interviews. Please contact Isabelle and Sarah to request an interview.
Installation shots
Lola Pertsowsky - In the Mother Tongue
18 September 2026 - 8 November 2026
Which plants, animals and objects do we share our homes with? And how do we coexist with them? In her series In the Mother Tongue, Lola Pertsowsky invites us to see domestic life and the everyday through fresh eyes.
The pictures in this series were taken at her mother’s house. It’s teeming with life. A fly perched on the leftovers from breakfast. The dishes waiting to be washed. A half-eaten slab of butter. A smartphone. A colony of ants. They all coexist under the same roof.
The objects we design for our convenience end up shaping us in turn. Pertsowsky's camera circles her subjects. Her goal is not to document but to create a bond with whatever she is photographing.
Pertsowsky gives equal attention to the plants, animals and objects we often overlook. She looks, then looks again. Looking becomes an exercise in itself, repetition a way of learning to see.
About the artist
Lola Pertsowsky (1988, Île d'Oléron, France) lives and works in Brussels. She studied at La Cambre and LUCA School of Arts in Brussels. Her work explores the relationships between the human and the non-human in domestic and public spheres through photography and sculpture.
FOMU Grant
This exhibition is part of the FOMU Grant programme. The grant consists of 3 components: a commission to create new work, an exhibition at FOMU and the acquisition of work for the museum collection. Through the FOMU Grant, we support photographers based in Flanders. FOMU and an external partner take turns nominating artists. This time FOMU nominated Pertsowsky. The FOMU Grant is made possible in part thanks to the support of the FOMU Patrons.
With the support of the French Embassy in Belgium, the Alliance-Française Bruxelles-Europe and the Institut français. As part of EXTRA, a program that supports French contemporary creation in Belgium.
Press images
- Below you will find a selection of low-resolution press images.
- You may use a maximum of 3 images free of copyright in articles about the exhibition.
- Please request high-resolution images by contacting Isabelle and Sarah.
- The images may not be cropped.
- The copyright and caption of the images must be stated in full.
Interviews
Lola Pertsowsky is available for interviews. Please contact Isabelle and Sarah to request an interview.
Isabelle Willems
Sarah Skoric