Working visit to the Biennale de Lubumbashi (Congo)
(c) Georges Senga, Série Vendeurs de rue 2018
The Biennale de Lubumbashi is one of the most experimental and dynamic artistic events on the African continent. The project provides a professional platform for artists and cultural actors in Congo and a framework for international encounter and exchange.
The 6th edition of the Lubumbashi Biennale, entitled Future Genealogies, Tales From The Equatorial Line, probes the possibilities of repurposing the cartography of the world.
The Biennale is an initiative of Picha, an independent artists’ organisation in Lubumbashi which supports and promotes artistic creation in Congo. Picha has been working for some time with educational and art organisations and artists’ initiatives from Belgium, among others: Africalia, AfricaMuseum, Enough Room for Space, KU Leuven, LUCA School of Arts, Mu.ZEE, Antwerp University and WIELS. The working visit is facilitated by Picha and the biennial team.
Flanders Arts Institute invited one visual arts professional to participate in the opening week of the Biennale de Lubumbashi. Serine Ahouéfa Mekoun will conduct interviews with artists and write a reflection on the context of the biennial. This material will serve as documentation for Picha and will be shared by Flanders Arts Institute.
Serine is a literary journalist of Togolese, Benin and Belgian descent currently living in Brussels. She has worked as project coordinator for Africalia and as curator for the AfricaTube project, a digital library on contemporary African digital creation by the AfricaMuseum. She also writes articles and reviews for numerous (online) magazines such as Cafébabel and The Art Momentum.
Why do we organise this visit?
Through the shared history between Belgium and Congo, a strong connection between the art scenes of Congo and Belgium has grown over the past decades. Flanders Arts Institute aims to stimulate knowledge and cooperation across national borders.
In this way, we not only provide an enriching context for the arts, but we also want to support artists and art professionals in broadening their vision, the development of their practice and the expansion of their international network. This working visit is part of the broader mission of Flanders Arts Institute concerning the practical support of artists and art professionals.
More information
Contact Lissa Kinnaer for futher questions.
