Hoaxing Histories

Hoaxing Histories, the fifth solo exhibition by Maarten Vanden Eynde at Meessen, Brussels, examines Belgium's colonial past and its enduring influence. The works confront events such as the slave trade, the atomic bomb's creation, and African mining operations, exploring themes of propaganda, distortion, nostalgia, fear, and trauma. Vanden Eynde, who co-founded the Institute for Colonial Culture to foster dialogue between Belgium and the DRC, uses art to address complex and often contradictory narratives.

The exhibition features sculptures like "Close Encounters," which critiques the Western division of the world, and "Guilty Pleasures," using copper and ivory to represent the plundering of Congo's riches. "Malice" panels draw inspiration from Congolese memorial boards, while "Leopold's Ghost" presents masks created by Congolese artists that incorporate the likeness of Leopold II. "Little Boy 3D" is a lace reproduction of the Hiroshima bomb, highlighting the origin of its uranium from the Belgian Congo. Other works, such as "Tenerife Tech" and "Return," explore themes of craft, cultural exchange, and restitution.