History of Art and Architecture

Congo Logic: Contemporary Arts & Colonial Pasts

Monday, March 4, 2024 - 5:30pm to 7:00pm

Dr. Elaine Sullivan
125 Frick Fine Arts 

What role can contemporary art play in addressing difficult colonial pasts? As calls to confront uncomfortable histories have gained momentum around the world, public officials and museum curators have repeatedly turned to contemporary artists to respond to calls for decolonizing. This talk will focus on three art installations in Belgium by artists from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a former Belgian colony. The artists – Freddy Tsimba, Aimé Mpane, and Sammy Baloji – have created artworks that raise awareness of colonial history and challenge understandings of what art can do.