Congoville Talks

#congoville

In the run-up to the exhibition, we talked to some interesting guests. They all tell about the colonial traces, which are often hidden in plain sight and still affect our society today.

Ângela Ferreira

Ângela Ferreira was born in Maputo (Mozambique) in 1958, settled in Cape Town (South Africa) in 1975, moved to Lisbon (Portugal) in the early 1990s and now commutes between Cape Town and Lisbon.

Bodys Isek Kingelez

Born in 1948 in Kimbembele Ihunga in the Belgian Congo, moved to Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo) in 1970, where he passed away in 2015.

Hank Willis Thomas

Hank Willis Thomas was born in 1976 in New Jersey (United States), he lives and works in New York (United States).

Ibrahim Mahama

Born in 1987 in Tamale (Ghana), lives and works in Accra, Kumasi and Tamale (all in Ghana).

Jean Katambayi

Born in 1974 in Lubumbashi (Democratic Republic of Congo), lives and works in Lubumbashi.

Pélagie Gbaguidi

Born in 1965 in Dakar (Senegal), of Benin descent, lives and works in Brussels (Belgium).

Middelheim Museum initiates a major expansion of its collection

Thanks to collaborative ventures and the implementation of measures in support of the sector, the Middelheim Museum was able to diversify and give a significant boost to its collection in 2021. No fewer than 43 new works of art by 35 different artists were collected in 2021 together with the Flemish Community, the city of Antwerp and the Middelheim Promotors. The museum thus strengthens its unique position as a collecting institution for contemporary outdoor sculpture.

New presentation of artworks

The Middelheim Museum is breathing new life into its art park. In 2023 and 2024, many sculptures are given a new, well thought-out place in the art park, along with better interpretation and signage. There will also be a new publicly accessible open-air repository for sculptures which are temporarily not displayed in the collection presentation. In the renewed presentation, extra attention is paid to the landscape elements and the special heritage value of the Middelheim site. Thus, people, art, nature and heritage will come even closer together.

Lili Dujourie

Mimesis

Mimesis is a new monumental sculpture by artist Lili Dujourie (°1941, Roeselare, Belgium), commissioned by the city of Antwerp on the occasion of the reopening of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) in the autumn of 2022.