This year, UCLouvain hosted the residency of Belgian-Congolese artist Sammy Baloji, who, among other things, led the “Campus Artist in Residence” course at Musée L. This project enabled students from different faculties to question, through artistic practice, the legacies of colonialism, in particular those linked to the Congo. The fruit of this work is presented in the group exhibition Alliages, on view at Musée L until June 22.
During the second semester of 2024-2025, artist Sammy Baloji gave UCLouvain students a course like no other: Campus Artist in Residence. This course, organized for almost 20 years at UCLouvain, introduces students from all disciplines to artistic creation in connection with an artist's residency at the university. Internationally renowned for his work combining photography, video, sculpture and installation, Sammy Baloji examines the traces of colonialism and their current repercussions, particularly in the Congo.
For several months, students were invited to carry out research and creative work in close connection with the museum's collections. They had access to the reserves, archives and permanent exhibition, and were encouraged to question the way in which the African collection is presented and documented. These exchanges were enriched by the presence of artists invited by Sammy Baloji, including Alexandre Mulongo Finkelstein, Éric van Hove, Frank Mukunday & Téshim, Roger Peet, Sixte Kakinda and Toshie Takeuchi.
The closing evening on May 14 featured performances and installations by the students, in dialogue with the works of the guest artists and the museum's collection. The exhibition Alliages. Poetics and perspectives of decentering in the face of the impacts of colonialism in the Congo articulates its proposals around three notions - transmitting, extracting, collecting - which invite us to rethink historical narratives and knowledge from a critical perspective.
For Musée L, hosting this type of project is important, as it opens up the collections to new interpretations, enables research, creation and teaching to be combined, and engages in collective reflection on complex issues. Sammy Baloji's theme is in line with a process initiated by the museum, that of questioning colonial narratives and enhancing the value of African collections in a fairer way.
The Musée L warmly thanks Sammy Baloji for his commitment to this residency.
The exhibition Alliages. Poetics and perspectives of decentering in the face of the impacts of colonialism is on view until June 22, 2025.
