Charging Myths presents work from the transnational artist collective On-Trade-Off and their long-term research project investigating the mining culture of Manono, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Jean Katambayi Mukendi, The Concentrator, 2022. Installation view.
Participating artists: Alexis, Destoop, Marjolijn Dijkman, Pélagie Gbaguidi, Femke Herregraven, Dorine Mokha & Elia Rediger, Jean Katambayi, Musasa, Alain Nsenga, Georges Senga, Pamela Tulizo, and Maarten Vanden Eynde.
The artist led research of On-Trade-Off was sparked by the large-scale mining of lithium in Manono, DRC. A site of historical extractivism, Manono has also become swept up in the race for green energy as lithium has become a valuable material for electrical technology.
The members of On-Trade-Off created a collaborative platform for the exchange of trans-disciplinary knowledge in order to investigate how technological innovation has become dependent on natural resources, following chains of value across the globe. The participating artists developed contemporary artworks through on-site research and residences in the DRC and Belgium, exploring the colonial mining past and its future of exploitation.
On-Trade-Off is an artist-run project initiated by Picha (Lubumbashi, DRC) & Enough Room for Space (Brussels, BE). The exhibition is a co-production of Framer Framed (Amsterdam, NL) and Z33 (Hasselt, BE).
The exhibition is on view from the 24th of February until the 4th of June, 2023. For more information, please visit Framer Framed.
