OMA-designed 'white cube LIRCAEI' in DR congo featured in new documentary

‘white cube LIRCAEI’, an art museum designed by OMA/david gianotten in the democratic republic of congo, is to be featured in a new documentary by dutch artist and filmmaker renzo martens. the project, previously covered on designboom here, is situated on an abandoned plantation in lusanga and forms part of a larger masterplan. also designed by OMA, this masterplan intends to support a new economic model for art, which includes the often exploited congolese labors in art’s creation and profit sharing.

all images are stills from ‘white cube,’ renzo martens © institute for human activities, 2020

the OMA-designed building is to be featured in ‘white cube’, a documentary by renzo martens in collaboration with the cercle d’art des travailleurs de plantation congolaise (CATPC). the film will premiere at the international feature film competition at the international documentary film festival amsterdam (IDFA) and in lusanga on november 21, 2020 before touring globally.

the documentary tells the story of how the congolese, through a new economic model, buy back the plantations once owned by international corporations before transforming them into sites for ecological farming. ‘it was an honor to be asked by renzo martens and CATPC to design an art museum in lusanga for the congolese community,’ says david gianotten, OMA managing partner. ‘we look forward to responses to the documentary, and further dialogues on the subject of egalitarianism in the art world.’

with an orthogonal plan and white surfaces, the 12 x 10.5m (40 x 34ft) structure is built with a slanted roof and a series of partitions to create a variety of spatial experiences. close to the entrance, the high ceiling evokes contemporary art galleries in metropolises. the ceiling height decreases as the visitor meanders deeper into the museum for a more intimate art experience. the journey ends with a large window open to the fields for ecological farming — a connection between art and the local people. see designboom’s previous coverage of the project here.

project info:

name: white cube LIRCAEI
location: lusanga, democratic republic of congo
client: lusanga international research centre on art and economic inequality (LIRCAEI)
year: 2017
status: completed
OMA partner: david gianotten
project manager: max scherer
project architects: emma lubbers, adrian subagyo

collaborators —
executive architect: IJAMBO, kinshasa
construction: COPIREC, kinshasa
advisor: witteveen+bos, engineering and consulting agency
sponsors: KASK school of arts ghent, gieskes-strijbis fund, mondriaan fund, the art of impact