Sammy Baloji, (Congolese, born 1978)

'Raccord #5, Mine à ciel ouvert noyée de Banfora' from the series 'Kolwezi' 34 x 93 1/2in (86.4 x 237.5cm)

'Raccord #5, Mine à ciel ouvert noyée de Banfora' from the series 'Kolwezi'
digital inkjet print
34 x 93 1/2in (86.4 x 237.5cm)
Edition 2/5 + 2AP

Here the artist photographs his native province of Katanga in the DRC, a mineral-rich area that is home to artisanal mining on a huge scale. The meagre tarpaulin homes of the miners are often decorated with kitsch posters made in China.

Baloji creates an uncomfortable contrast by paring these enhanced unrealistic images, that suggest a utopian world, in stark contrast to the dystopian hell surrounding the workers.