Current
Sammy Baloji
Sammy Baloji’s participates in the inaugural edition of the Abu Dhabi Public Art Biennale with his work “Kombwelo 504″—a new piece created in collaboration with Jean Katambayi.
It is a 1:1 scale Peugeot 504 car — a 1970s and 80s status symbol for mining administrators-rendered in copper wire. The car references kombwelo, miniature wire cars crafted by Congolese children from discarded materials where commercial products are scarce. In Kombwelo 504 (2024) black irrigation tubes-reminiscent of Abu Dhabi’s irrigation systems-symbolise the lifeblood that sustains the desert city and transformation due to oil extraction. The work juxtaposes the Congo where resource extraction still shapes the land with Abu Dhabi’s relationship to water and oil, highlighting the connection between industry, environment, and survival in resource-driven economies.
Ali Cherri
The BnF is presenting the first major exhibition dedicated to the Apocalypse. The Apocalypse? A dark, fearsome word, one that speaks of the end of the world. For two thousand years, it has echoed through our culture and Western societies whenever a major catastrophe occurs, and even today, it lingers in the background of our climate anxieties. And yet… This word means revelation, unveiling. In its biblical source, the Apocalypse speaks of a veil lifting to reveal the timeless kingdom that will unite believers in the celestial Jerusalem. A word of hope, meant to dispel our deepest fears?
