Renzo Martens and CATPC to Represent Netherlands at 2024 Venice Biennale
Renzo Martens, alongside the Cercle d’Art des Travailleurs de Plantation Congolaise (CATPC), has been chosen to represent the Netherlands at the Venice Biennale in 2024. This collective was born from Martens' work with plantation laborers in Lusanga (previously known as Leverville), where he initiated a sculpture workshop. In 2017, they launched the White Cube exhibition venue in rural DRC. Martens first garnered attention with his 2008 film Episode III: Enjoy Poverty, which critiques the global media economy and the Western demand for images depicting suffering. Critic J.J. Charlesworth noted that the film compels audiences to acknowledge the economic disparities that sustain poverty in Africa despite humanitarian efforts. Concurrently, Martens and CATPC will unveil an exhibition at White Cube in Lusanga. Ced’art Tamasala from CATPC remarked that linking a plantation's white cube to a prestigious art event highlights the stark contrasts between these two realms.
Key facts
- Renzo Martens and CATPC will represent the Netherlands at the Venice Biennale 2024.
- CATPC grew out of Martens' collaboration with Congolese plantation workers in Lusanga.
- Lusanga was formerly known as Leverville, the colonial-era headquarters of Lever plantation operations.
- Martens set up a sculpture workshop with the workers.
- In 2017, the White Cube exhibition space opened in the DRC countryside.
- Martens' 2008 film Episode III: Enjoy Poverty explores the international media economy and Western market for images of suffering.
- J.J. Charlesworth wrote about the film's critique of economic power imbalances in Africa.
- An exhibition at White Cube in Lusanga will open simultaneously with the Dutch pavilion.
- Ced’art Tamasala of CATPC commented on the connection between the plantation white cube and the art world.
Entities
Artists
- Renzo Martens
- Ced’art Tamasala
Institutions
- Cercle d’Art des Travailleurs de Plantation Congolaise (CATPC)
- White Cube
- Venice Biennale
Locations
- Netherlands
- Venice
- Lusanga
- Leverville
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)