Sammy Baloji

Sammy Baloji (b. 1978 in Lubumbashi, DR Congo) is a visual artist and photographer. Since 2005, he has been exploring the memory and history of the Democratic Republic of Congo. His work is an ongoing research into the cultural, architectural and industrial heritage of the Katanga region, as well as a questioning of the effects of Belgian colonization. His work highlights how identities are shaped, transformed, perverted and reinvented. He co-founded Picha in 2008, the organization which initiated the Biennale de Lubumbashi. Sammy Baloji started in September 2019 his PhD artistic research project “Contemporary Kasala and Lukasa: towards a Reconfiguration of Identity and Geopolitics” at Sint Lucas Antwerpen. His recent solo exhibitions include K©ongo, Fragments of Interlaced Dialogues (2022), Sammy Baloji, Other Tales (2020), Congo, Fragments d’une histoire (2019), A Blueprint for Toads and Snakes (2018), Urban Now: City Life in Congo (2016), The Power Plant (2016-2017). He has recently participated in the Sydney Biennial (2020) and Venice Architecture Biennial (2023).