On Monday, 14 September, VISU member Ophélie Laloy will defend her PhD thesis, Confronter les sources : les dessins commandités du Congo belge, les auteur·ices congolais·es et la réception européenne (1926–1939). The presentation will be in French; questions from the audience may be asked in French, English or Dutch. The public defence will take place from 2 to 4 pm at the VUB Etterbeek Campus, Building D, room D.2.01 (Promotiezaal). A small reception will follow the defence and will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. in the D2 hall, located just outside the Promotiezaal.
If you wish to attend, please register by emailing Ophélie before 7 September: olaloy@kbr.be. Find more information on the dissertation below:
Confronter les sources : les dessins commandités du Congo belge, les auteur·ices congolais·es et la réception européenne (1926–1939)
Abstract
This dissertation studies drawings on paper produced in Belgian Congo between 1926 and 1939 and their reception in Europe. It is based on a systematic comparison of the drawings, archival records, correspondence and press sources. Rather than treating contradictions between these sources simply as obstacles, the research uses them to question how the drawings, their makers and their history have been documented and transmitted. This approach challenges a narrative long centred on Albert Lubaki, one of the makers of the drawings, brings to light traces of other people involved in their production, and reveals the limits of the colonial categories and archives that continue to shape how these drawings are understood today.
Supervisor: Katarzyna Ruchel-Stockmans · VUB
Chair: Pieter Martens · VUB
Jury Members: Elisabeth Bekers, VUB; Laurens Dhaenens, LUCA School of Arts; Manuelina Maria Duarte Cândido, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; Bogumil Jewsiewicki, Université Laval; Francisca Vandepitte, VUB