Photo exhibition “Mémoire“ by the celebrated Congolese artist Sammy Baloji from Monday 14 October until Thursday 24 October 2013, from 9am to 7pm (Monday to Friday), Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung

From Monday, 14th October until Thursday 24th October 2013 from 9am to 7 pm (Monday to Friday) AfricAvenir, in cooperation with the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation, invites you to the photo exhibition “Mémoire“ by the award-winning and internationally celebrated Congolese artist Sammy Baloji. The exhibition will be opened by Merin Abbas (Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation) and Alanna Lockward (Art Labour Archives). The exhibition is presented within the framework of the "Alternative week on Resources".nCopyright: Sammy Baloji. Courtesy of the Prince Claus Fund.nIn his series of photographs entitled „Mémoire”, Sammy Baloji links black and white photographs from Belgian colonial times with contemporary pictures of the mining town Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo. A colonial past with slavery and exploitative hierarchies meets fallow industrial ruins and tips. The large-sized photo-montages distinctly connect the colonial past with post-colonial exploitation, an exploitation of humans and resources on which the so-called “progress” of Western technologies is based. n„Mémoire“ shows the heritage of colonial times – for society, politics, and the environment – and at the same time points towards the huge economical gain colonial masters had from the mines. “Mémoire” calls upon us to rethink the consequences of the "development" of resource extraction areas and emphasizes the rights of the affected communities to freely dispose of their wealth of resources. nWe are pleased to present an artistic perspective on the resource exploitation `green` technologies rely on with „Mémoire” as part of our long-term project „Paradoxes of Sustainabilty – How socially just are ‚green‘ technologies really?“. The exhibition is presented in the framework of the “Week on Alternative Resources” (12th – 19th October 2013.)

Sammy Baloji about „Mémoire“n“My previous works were dedicated to colonial architecture. To some extent, my current works have a direct connection with the colonial past, which gave birth to the cities of Katanga province. These cities were built upon mines. The latter belong to Katanga’s history. The essence of my question lies in the daily life of Congolese people. They are traces of the recent past, which is also present.” nThe artistnSammy Baloji was born 1978 in Lubumbashi in the resource rich province Katanga in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
With a borrowed camera, he began photographing scenes as sources for his cartoons. He soon enrolled in photography courses in DRC, and continued with photography and video at Ecole Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, in Strasbourg, France. Today he lives and works in Lumumbashi and Brussels. nBaloji created several works about the culture of the Katanga region and the colonial heritage in DRC. He views architecture and the human body as traces of social history, sites of memory, and witnesses to operations of power.
Balojis work is displayed worldwide in Africa, Europe, Japan and USA and shows a diverse and expressive picture of Congolese realities. His works encourage social awareness and stimulate artistic creation in the region of Katanga. He is, amongst others, the initiator of the Biennale “PICHA” which takes place in Lumumbashi since 2008.

Awards
2012 The Spiegel prize, Patrick De Spiegelaere Fund
2012 nominated for the Rencontres d’Arles Discovery Award
2009 Shortlist Prix Pictet
2008 Prince Claus Award
2007 Prix Afrique en créations and Prix pour l’image at the Biennale for Photography in Bamako, Mali.

Exhibition „Mémoire“
Sammy Baloji, 2006

Vernissage: Friday, 11th October, 6 pm
The exhibition will be opened by Merin Abbas (Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation) and Alanna Lockward (Art Labour Archives).

Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung
Berliner Haus 1
Hiroshimastraße 17
10785 Berlin 

Further information about the exhibition:http://www.axisgallery.com/Axis_Gallery/Sammy_Baloji_Albums/Sammy_Baloji_Albums.htmlFurther information about the Week on Alternative Resources :nhttp://alternative-rohstoffwoche.de/