The International Celebration of Blasphemy and The Sacred

Cercle d’Art des Travailleurs de Plantation Congolaise (CATPC), in collaboration with artist Renzo Martens and curator Hicham Khalidi, present new artworks as part of their ongoing commitment for the plantation of Lusanga to be freed, regenerated and transformed back into sacred forests, as well as their commitment to a greater project of spiritual, ethical and economic reckoning. The exhibition is on display at the Rietveld Pavilion in Venice and simultaneously in the White Cube in Lusanga (DRC). By twinning the White Cube – the previously established museum by Martens and CATPC – in Lusanga with the Rietveld Pavilion in Venice a level playing field has been created by and for CATPC: this is what they see as their next step. For both the Venice and Lusanga exhibitions CATPC will create new artworks from the earth of the last remaining patches of forest surrounding the plantation which will subsequently be cast in the raw materials extracted from the plantation. Ced’art Tamasala, on behalf of CATPC: ‘Each sculpture carries the seed that will bring back the sacred forest. Ultimately functioning as conduits, these sculptures will allow for a shared equitable future for all humans, making it possible for us to reclaim our stolen lands, to reforest them and to welcome the post-plantation and sacred forest.’ Diviner’s Figure representing Belgian Colonial Officer, Maximilien Balot, 1931: An important part of the exhibition is the temporary return of Balot, a sculpture held sacred to their community originally made to protect them against the plantation regime. In anticipation of the simultaneous exhibition in Venice and Lusanga, CATPC submitted a loan request to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA). Recently, this request was approved by the VMFA. And on 19 March 2024 Balot was welcomed in Lusanga by CATPC and their community. CATPC believes in restoring balance and correcting past injustices once the sculpture is returned. The sculpture will be exhibited in the White Cube in Lusanga from 20 April to 24 November 2024, in parallel with La Biennale di Venezia. According to CATPC it must be noted that many western museums have been constructed and financed with profits extracted from plantations. They believe that now is the time for museums and art institutes throughout the western world to support reconciliation and actively engage with indigenous communities as they reclaim their land and restore and reconnect to their sacred forests. Now that the ancestral sculpture Balot is returned to the plantation – even temporarily – their movement will be greatly strengthened. The Judgement of the White Cube: In CATPC’s latest, as yet unreleased performance film The Judgement of the White Cube, the White Cube – all white cubes- is taken hostage and judged. As it stands trial before the community, the white cube is sentenced to ask for forgiveness and to bring back the ancestral sculpture of Balot. Ced’art Tamasala: ‘We aim for a scenario in which the sweat and fruits of plantation labour are transformed from impure stains into tools for repair. The process of exhibiting and expressing our ideas in these fruits that we have produced, enables us –CATPC– to buy back confiscated land, to regenerate the sacred forest and to allow for a peaceful coexistence between humans and nature.’ The sculpture Balot: The 1931 rape of Kafuchi – a Pende noble woman – sparked off the Pende peoples’ revolt against enforced recruitment, in which they decapitated and dismembered Maximilien Balot, a colonial administrator for the Belgian government. The Belgian army’s reprisal was swift and violent. Carved the same year as Maximilien Balot’s death, the ancestral sculpture representing the Belgian Colonial Officer was created. The sculpture was intended as a power object to harness Maximilian Balot’s angry spirit in service of the Pende people. It remained hidden until 1972, when it was sold to an American scholar who later sold it to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) in Richmond, Virginia. For the Biennale Arte 2024, CATPC has petitioned the VMFA for a temporary loan that was recently approved by the museum. It is their wish that the ancestral sculpture Balot travels to Lusanga so the community can physically and historically reconnect with the sculpture and express “a shared heritage for all humanity that traverses the world.” Balot will be exhibited in the White Cube, Lusanga where it will be ritually returned to its rightful place among the region’s notables, traditional chiefs, current and former plantation workers, children, women, men and animals. Visitors to the Dutch Pavilion in Venice can see the sculpture on display via a live stream. Commissioner: Mondriaan Fund Curator: Hicham Khalidi in collaboration with Renzo Martens

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