David Shongo, composer and contemporary artist from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), presents his first solo-exhibition in Belgium, From Dead to Living Memory, at the Tommy Simoens Gallery. The exhibition investigates themes of collective memory, trauma, and the ongoing impact of colonialism through immersive art, film, and sound. By blending contemporary geopolitical concerns with historical events, Shongo invites the audience to reflect on how memory—both personal and collective—shapes and continues to affect the present, through the analogy of Dead (ROM) and Living Memory (RAM).

The centerpiece of the exhibition is Café Kuba, a cinematic installation combining video and soundscapes. Through the lens of a mobile coffee vendor navigating the streets of Kinshasa, the work offers an intimate research of the complexities facing the Congolese capital—grappling with political instability, urban challenges, and social conflict. The film is set against the backdrop of the turbulent history of the Congo, filmed just before the anticipated assault on Kinshasa following the M23 rebel group’s capture of Goma. The work captures the emotional landscape of the city’s residents, bringing a fraught national history back to life as they navigate daily conversations amid war and uncertainty. The intersections that form time are stimulated by the very existence of memory, which, consequently, can only be alive.

In addition to Café Kuba, the exhibition also features Botanique des Morts (Botany of the Dead), a series of new collages based on Shongo’s personal experiences through his individual memory and its collective consequences, as well as works from his renowned Blackout Poetry series. Blackout Poetry reinterprets ethnographic photographs from the 1930s, erasing and recombining elements to create new, politically charged narratives that question colonial histories and deconstruct established power structures.

Shongo’s work is informed by the enduring legacy of colonialism, with a particular focus on the exploitation of Congo’s resources. From Dead to Living Memory reflects on the dark history of the Shinkolobwe mine in Katanga, which supplied uranium to the Manhattan Project during World War II and contributed to the development of nuclear weapons. Shongo’s art interrogates the intersection of exploitation, trauma, and the global race for resources, drawing connections between Congo’s colonial past and contemporary conflicts over minerals like cobalt, uranium, and coltan.

Through “Dead Memory” and “Living Memory”, two large-scale silkscreen paintings featured in the exhibition, Shongo explores the duality of memory. Dead Memory examines the trauma of the past, evoking both personal memories and historical imagery that connects Congo’s colonial exploitation to the atrocities of the Holocaust. Living Memory, on the other hand, juxtaposes the idealized imagery of Belgium’s atomic age, represented by the Atomium, with the harsh realities of resource extraction in Congo.

Shongo’s art calls for a reassessment of historical narratives, highlighting the ongoing exploitation of Congo’s wealth and the international powers that have shaped its turbulent history. His work is a poignant reminder of the ongoing cycle of resource-driven conflicts, and the role that memory—both dead and living—plays in shaping the future.

From Dead to Living Memory offers a powerful invitation to reflect on the enduring impact of colonialism, the trauma of the past, and the living memory that continues to shape global conflict today.