The exhibition “Panorama of Congo: Unrolling the Past with Virtual Reality” (CONGO VR, FilmEU RIT ) opened on 24 February at the National Museum of Natural History and Science in Lisbon. The opening ceremony was conducted by Marta Lourenço, director of the museum, Manuel José Damásio, coordinator of FilmEU and the exhibition’s curators, Ana David Mendes, Leen Engelen, Linda King and Victor Flores.

The exhibition begins by immersing the visitor in a Congolese forest of shadows and then takes them to an installation with a photographic reproduction of Alfred Bastien and Paul Mathieu’s Panorama of Congo (1913) and a soundscape questioning the propagandistic nature of this image. Secondly, the exhibition proposes a reinterpretation of this monumental painting (1610 m2) through Virtual Reality, including works by Congolese artists Deogracias Kihalu, Castelie Yalombo, Eleonor Hellio and Michel Ekeba (Kongo Astronauts), Hadassa Ngamba and Lukah Katangila. The visit ends with a screening of a short documentary film directed by Érica Rodrigues on the decolonial issues raised by this research project. 

The exhibition can be visited until 16 June, from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 am to 5 pm. On Sundays, admission is free from 10 am to 1 pm.