‘Le Père Sauvage’

With Staging the Concert, Bozar initiates, introduces, and produces a new format where artists and music engage in dialogue. New dimensions of the concert experience are explored through the interplay of space, light, and materials.

For this third edition, Bozar has invited Belgian-Congolese artist Sammy Baloji to conceive an evening using the 65th anniversary of the Democratic Republic of Congo's independence as a starting point. Together with the Brussels-based Twenty Nine Studio & Production, Sammy Baloji draws a connection between the architecture of Victor Horta and colonization. After all, the iconic Art Nouveau building exists thanks to Congo's natural resources.

Two new musical compositions, written especially for this project, are inspired by the 1899 novel Heart of Darkness (Szymon Brzoska) and 1970s Pan-Africanism (Pytshens Kambilo). Finally, Jamaican artist Satch Hoyt presents a sound cartography retracing the historical journeys of Black people across the Atlantic Ocean.

Before Staging the Concert, Sammy Baloji and curator Marie Umuhoza will engage in a dialogue during a Sofa Session. Sammy Baloji’s latest film, L'Arbre de l'Authenticité (2025), premiering at Bozar on May 23, will be one of the discussion topics.