Artist Talk with Léonard Pongo Friday June 4 at 6:30
Join us for an artist talk between Sorana Munsya, curator/ critic, and Léonard Pongo, artist, on Friday June 4 at 6.30 pm on Zoom, broadcasted from The Temple.
Léonard Pongo. “Primordial Earth: The Beginnings” May 29th- June 12th, 2021
Opening hours: Thursday to Saturday, from 12 to 6:30pm
In his ongoing series Primordial Earth, the Belgian-Congolese artist Léonard Pongo (1988) renders the Congolese landscape as an allegory of the evolution of life on earth, hinting at the irrelevance of humanity in a world that constantly moves through cyclical rhythms. By doing so, he pays tribute to the traditions, crafts and myths of the various ethnic groups who have been inhabiting it and seeks to recreate an imaginary world inspired by the land where these tales emerged. This serves to create his own visual language, which seeks to escape dominant representations of Congo.
After having showcased some of the works from Primordial Earth at BOZAR in Brussels, Léonard Pongo presents a new selection from that series, that resonates with The Agprognostic Temple’s special architecture and its occult atmosphere. Pongo zooms in on details from the vegetal and mineral world, which he renders in an almost abstract way. Through his photographic lens, these undergo a form of transformation, not unlike that of alchemistic processes. The result is a stunning series of photographs that through their carrier explore the ‘objectness’ of the photographic image, while evoking a timeless and universal connection to the origins of the world.
Sam Steverlynck.
location: Tour & Taxis – Produits Dangereux building. Avenue du Port Havenlaan 86C Bus 316 1000 Brussel, Belgium
