About this episode
A conversation with Léonard Pongo about his artistic practice and the reimagining of Congolese narratives through visual art.
In this episode, I sit down with Léonard Pongo, the Belgian-Congolese visual artist whose work dissolves the boundaries between photography, video, performance and installation. Born in Liège and trained in political science, Pongo has developed a visual language deeply rooted in Congolese realities, yet always infused with myth, ritual and memory. We talk about his celebrated projects, from The Uncanny to Primordial Earth , and the ways they reframe the Congo through dense, dreamlike images that hover between the spiritual and the visceral. Our conversation explores how he uses photography as a space of transmission, how he approaches the sacred in his work, and what it means to portray a country through its inner landscapes rather than its surface narratives. A rich, introspective dialogue with an artist who is redefining documentary practice, turning it into a poetic form that opens new ways of seeing. Useful links: - Website: https://www.diptykmag.com/ - Newsletter: Sign-up form - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diptykmagazine/
People in this episode
Host: Diptyk
Guest: Léonard Pongo
Topics covered
- visual art
- photography
- documentary practice
- Congo
- myth and memory
- performance art
Keywords
- Léonard Pongo
- visual artist
- photography
- Congo
- artistic practice
- documentary
- myth
- ritual
- memory
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: The Uncanny, Primordial Earth
Places: Liège, Congo
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