Sammy Baloji Examines Colonial Extraction at Goldsmiths CCA

Sammy Baloji's exhibition at Goldsmiths CCA in London, on view through January 12, 2025, explores the lasting impacts of Belgian colonial rule in the Democratic Republic of the Congo through densely research-based works. The show includes a terrarium inspired by Wardian cases and uranium ore, an audio recording of Congolese soldier Albert Kudjabo, a film on copper production with writings by philosopher Valentin-Yves Mudimbe, and a film contrasting colonial propaganda with contemporary footage of the Yangambi rainforest. A series of aerial archive photographs in carved afzelia wood frames highlights the scars of extraction. Baloji's work balances critical clarity with the complexity of colonial histories.