100 x Congo. A century of Congolese art in Antwerp

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100 x Congo. A century of Congolese art in Antwerp

3/10/2020-28/03/2021

Exactly one hundred years ago, the City of #antwerp, still in the colonial era, came into the possession of a Congolese art collection. De exhibition '100 x Congo. A century of Congolese art in Antwerp' highlights one hundred works of art and utilitarian artefacts from the Congolese collection that has been preserved here in the MAS. What stories lie behind the objects? How did they wind up here? What was their significance to Congolese peoples? And what is the future of the collection? The richness and diversity of classical Congolese art and utilitarian artefacts will be showcased in this high-profile exhibition.

The 100 eye-catchers from the MAS' Congolese collection have pride of place in the exhibition space. They display the richness and diversity of classical Congolese art and utilitarian artefacts. The basic collection was acquired in 1920. Back then, the City of #antwerp purchased numerous Congolese artefacts  from the art dealer Henri Pareyn. In the same year, the former Minister of Colonies, Louis Franck, donated artefacts he had taken with him from an inspection tour of the Belgian Congo. 

The walls of the museum's rooms tell the story of early contacts between Europe and Africa, how #antwerp masters portrayed Africans and why Congolese individuals were displayed at colonial World's Fairs. The exhibition also looks in retrospect at how Belgian colonisation and missionary fervour unmistakably influenced Congolese cultures, and how the Congolese looked at the white man (mundele). '100 x Congo' questions the visitors' impression of these times. How do they look at the Congo? And do they see it differently after the exhibition?

Partners in #belgium and the Congo

For this exhibition, the MAS is collaborating with Belgian and Congolese artists, film makers and researchers. The MAS has entered into dialogue with #antwerp residents of Belgian and African descent. Patrick Mudekereza, writer, artist and director of the WAZA arts centre in Lubumbashi, invites the public, with his poetic interventions, to take a critical look at the exhibition. In the film 'In vele handen' (In many hands) by the Belgian Congolese film collective Faire-Part, 25 people from #antwerp and Kinshasa express themselves regarding the collection and restitution.

The 100 eye-catchers from the MAS collection are complemented by a selection of loans from various #antwerp, Belgian and Dutch museums, as well as private collections. The Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren, #belgium loaned out a number of iconic statues that were put on display towards the end of the  nineteenth century at the #antwerp World's Fair.

On the occasion of sixty years of Congolese independence and the centenary of the Congolese collection under the care of the MAS, the eponymous book '100xCongo. Een eeuw Congolese kunst in Antwerpen ' was published. In this publication, Congolese and Belgian researchers together look back for the first time on the historical ties between #antwerp and the Congo. The result is a special series of contributions on a shared and emotionally fraught history.

The exhibition is accompanied by a fascinating and instructive fringe programme, including lectures on decolonisation, workshops for children and (digital) learning material for schools. Guided tours are available in Dutch, French, English, Lingala and Swahili. The MAS is also partnering with De Studio, which will provide an appropriate film programme during the exhibition.

 Practical information

100 x Congo. A century of Congolese art in Antwerp

3/10/2020 - 28/03/2021

Footage: pers.mas.be/media/album/9936

All additional info and the fringe programme can be found at: www.mas.be