New exhibitions: Recaptioning Congo & Aglaia Konrad - Umbau
Press conference Thursday 15 september, 11 am at FOMU
Recaptioning Congo - New perspectives on the history of photography in colonial Congo
16.09.22 - 15.01.23
Recaptioning Congo presents images from Congo’s long and turbulent history as a colonised country, spanning nearly 100 years from its formal establishment in 1882 to independence in 1960.
The exhibition shows the contrasting perspectives of African and European photographers. The images are revealing, at times disturbing, and shed light on the relationships between past and present, Africa and Europe, Belgium and Congo.
Recaptioning Congo is the result of years of international research by curator Sandrine Colard and represents the first extensive exhibition to tackle the multilayered history of photography in the Belgian Congo. With works ranging from propaganda to amateur and studio photography, Recaptioning Congo is a chronological journey through the various media, historical events and communities that shaped the development of photography in colonial Congo.
Curator: Sandrine Colard
Publication
Recaptioning Congo places the photographic history of colonial Congo in a new perspective. Various African writers everyday Congolese urban voices take a look at the imperialist archive images and provide them with creative, contemporary and/or literary 'captions'.
This book appears in conjunction with the exhibition Recaptioning Congo in FOMU – Fotomuseum Antwerp, curated by colonial Congo's photography expert Sandrine Colard. The exhibition contains a wealth of revealing images that highlight the relationship between past and present, Africa and Europe, and Belgium and Congo.
The publication 'Recaptioning Congo - African stories & colonial pictures', published by Lannoo, is for sale in the FOMU shop for € 45.
Press images
Below is a selection of press images in low res. A larger selection of press images and high res images are available on request. You can use a maximum of 3 images free of rights for articles about the exhibition. The images may not be cropped and you always have to mention the full copyright.
Rubber vines in the forest (Lusambo), harvesting latex, 1907 © Collection Mundaneum, Mons
H. Goldstein, Untitled, 1953 Collection RMCA Tervuren © 1953 – Henri Goldstein / rechten SOFAM – Belgium
C. Lamote (Inforcongo), Untitled, 1950 Collection RMCA Tervuren/ CC BY 4.0
Congo Reform Association, The Camera and the Congo Crime, 1906 © Collection University of Bristol
Antoine Freitas, Untitled, 1936-1939 Museum Rietberg Collection © Suzanne Freitas
Robert Lebeck , Léopoldville 1960 Collectie Fotomuseum Antwerpen © Robert Lebeck / Robert Lebeck Archive
L’Illustration congolaise: journal bi-mensuel de propagande colonial, n°169, 1929 Collection Stad Antwerpen, Erfgoedbibliotheek Hendrik Conscience, alle rechten voorbehouden
Jean Depara, A beautiful Kinshasa woman belted in her tulip dress in front of the Afro Negro Club, City-Five orchestra, 1960 © Estate DEPARA, courtesy of Magnin-A GalleryActivities programme
Various speakers and artists will shed light on themes such as colonial propaganda and Afrofuturism in a multi-voice programme.
RECAPTIONING CONGO TOURS
Three special guests take you on a tour of the Recaptioning Congo exhibition. View the exhibition through their expert eyes. Expect fresh new insights and perspectives.
With Sandrine Colard, Joffrey Anane and others.
RECAPTIONING CONGO NOCTURNES
FOMU invites Salomé Ysebaert to host two nocturnes. Look forward to a diverse programme of stimulating panel discussion, live music, performance and short films. The Recaptioning Congo exhibition will remain open for the duration of each nocturne.
On October 20 there is a nocturne on the theme of colonial propaganda and on December 15 there is a nocturne on the theme of Afrofuturism.
With Reine Nkambiote, Jana Haeckel, Elise Tumba Kiambi, Agnes Kena, Pascale Obolo and others.
Aglaia Konrad - Umbau
16.09.22 - 15.01.23
The artist Aglaia Konrad (Salzburg, 1960) has an infectious fascination for architecture. At FOMU’s invitation, she created the exhibition Umbau specifically for the top floor of the museum.
Since the 1990s Konrad has been photographing urban processes in various metropolises. She approaches the work like an archaeologist, sifting through the layers of meaning - from the choice of materials to the underlying ideology. Her new photographic series on the subject of Ghent’s Boekentoren takes centre stage. The German title Umbau (rebuilding; change) refers not only to the recent renovation of this iconic building but also to Konrad’s creative process: from construction to deconstruction and vice versa. Umbau offers viewers a fresh look at architecture and architectural history.
Aglaia Konrad lives and works in Brussels. She studied and later became a mentor at the Jan van Eyck Academy in Maastricht and teaches at the LUCA School of Arts in Brussels. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Museum M, Leuven; Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam; Le Bal, Paris; and documenta X.
The central exhibition structure in FOMU Half-timbered, 2022 was designed by artist Richard Venlet for the occasion.
FOMU invites Aglaia Konrad for an artist talk on Thursday 17 November.
Press images
Below is a selection of press images in low res. A larger selection of press images and high res images are available on request. You can use a maximum of 3 images free of rights for articles about the exhibition. The images may not be cropped and you always have to mention the full copyright.
PRESS CONFERENCE & INTERVIEWS
The press conference for the exhibitions Recaptioning Congo & Aglaia Konrad - Umbau is on Thursday 15 september, 11 am at FOMU. The curators wil guide you through the exhibitions. Interviews are on request.
Please confirm your presence before 14 september.