Sammy Baloji at the Venice Biennale: Ghosts of Katanga and Imaging the ‘Other’

Sammy Baloji’s Venice Biennale works explore Congo’s colonial past, mining history, and the enduring politics of memory, image, and extraction.

Photographer, visual artist, and filmmaker Sammy Baloji (1978) from the DRC is presenting work at this year’s Venice Biennale, engaging colonial and postcolonial dialogues.

Sammy Baloji reflects that photography in Africa emerged through colonial expeditions and shaped the “other,” prompting him to question how to reclaim the medium for new narratives.

Western countries implemented their exploitation in African countries by building large factories and enforcing underpaid labour conditions. The destruction of African countries, including Congo, is almost complete.

As symbols of this, many factory buildings from that time stand upright. In this context, by depicting ‘workers’ and African bodies, Sammy Baloji seeks to convey the experience of colonialism through his many art projects.