Book Talk: The Uncanny – Léonard Pongo

In 2011 Pongo traveled to the DRC to photograph the general election and its impact on society. He soon became aware of his difficulty, as a European-trained photographer, in defining which stories mattered, and in reconciling his preconceptions with the realities he encountered. His experiences helped him come to terms with the limits of photography to show ‘the truth’, as well as his own limitations in understanding bias, stereotypes and the country’s environment

Join Pongo as he presents the work from this long-term project, which culminated in his first book, The Uncanny.

About the PanelistsSena Mourad Friedm

Léonard Pongo (@leonardpongo) is a photographer and visual artist. He was born in Liège in 1988 and grew up in Belgium. The Uncanny has been exhibited at the Lagos Photo Festival; Templehof Airport, Berlin; the Beijing Photo Biennial; and other international venues. He was an artist-in-residence at Black Rock Senegal, the program founded by renowned artist Kehinde Wiley.  Pongo teaches Documentary Photography at the Kinshasa Academy of Fine Arts (DRC).