Alliages

Invited by UCLouvain, Sammy Baloji was artist in residence at the university in the first half of 2025. During this time, he drew attention to the African collection at the Musée L (UCLouvain's museum) and considered possible forms of reparation for non-Western knowledge by examining the concept of the Western library (such as the UCLouvain university library) as a repository or place of knowledge production. He engaged in close dialogue with students from the university throughout this process.

Drawing a comparison between the library and the archives of Valentin-Yves Mudimbe in Lubumbashi and the UCL library, Baloji questioned the ongoing repercussions of colonialism in today's libraries and the impact of historical absence on our daily lives. The main research questions for this residency were: How can forgotten histories be revived? What is the value of a library in the formation of knowledge and identity? What dœs it mean to replace, repair or restore a collection or library? Students addressed these questions through Sammy Baloji's artistic practice. Several guest speakers linked to Sammy Baloji’s practice were also invited to offer different perspectives on these themes. These included the artists and researchers Alexandre Mulongo Finkelstein, Éric van Hove, Frank Mukunday & Téshim, Roger Peet, Sixte Kakinda and Toshie Takeuchi.

The outcome of the discussions between the guest speakers, the invited artists and researchers, and the students was presented in a closing exhibition titled Alliages at the Musée L, which brought the museum's collection into dialogue with artworks from the guest speakers and the students.