KU Leuven: KU Leuven Culture Prize goes to Congolese artist Sammy Baloji

Photographer and visual artist Sammy Baloji receives the biennial KU Leuven Culture Prize. The jury is impressed by the way in which Baloji interweaves Belgian colonial history in his work. The Culture Prize will be awarded on 1 December and is worth 10,000 euros.

Sammy Baloji is an internationally acclaimed photographer and visual artist who has several awards and solo exhibitions to his credit. His video works, installations and photographic series shed light on the Belgian colonial past and how it lives on in the present.

In its report, the jury of the Culture Prize is full of praise for the “consistent work of Sammy Baloji, in which the intertwining with colonial history is subtly incorporated”. With the prize, the university wants to introduce its students and staff to Baloji’s fascinating work.

Sammy Baloji has had a relationship with KU Leuven for several years. Since 2013 he has been working closely with Professor Filip De Boeck of the Faculty of Social Sciences. The jury describes this duo as “an anthropological photographer and a strong visual anthropologist.” Their collaboration has already resulted in the book Suturing the City (2016), the international exhibition Urban Now and two films.