Toma Muteba's Critical Installation at La Chaufferie

Toma Muteba, born in Kinshasa in 1962, is an artist and curator whose work critically examines ideological models rooted in the colonial past, specifically the Belgian presence in Congo. His exhibition at La Chaufferie in Strasbourg, France, in 2002, fills the entire space with installations combining writings, drawings, posters, objects, sculptures, and sound pieces. Muteba uses cultural representations and stereotypes as his primary materials, often drawing from historical documents such as the 1946 booklet "Notions élémentaires d'hygiène coloniale à l'usage des résidents du Congo belge," which inspired an installation of rubber boots arranged geometrically on the floor. The shadow of the ethnographic museum is ever-present, as seen in the mural "Zoologie," which mimics naturalist displays. Muteba also addresses Western rumors, like the modern legend of young girls disappearing from fitting rooms to fuel a "white slave trade," thereby turning the accusatory gaze back onto the colonizer. Despite the critical depth, the work leaves a slight unease, as the plastic expression does not always match the analytical pertinence. Muteba previously curated the contemporary section of "Exit Congo Museum" at the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Brussels in 2001.