The Africell Impact Foundation is among the partners supporting the 9th edition of the Lubumbashi Biennale, one of Africa’s leading international platforms for contemporary art.
The Africell Impact Foundation (AIF) is proud to be among the partners supporting the 9th edition of the Lubumbashi Biennale, one of Africa’s leading international platforms for contemporary art. From 15 October to 15 November 2026, the Biennale brings together Congolese and international artists, curators, researchers and cultural practitioners for a month of exhibitions, performances, conversations and public programmes across Lubumbashi, DRC’s second biggest city.
Supporting the Biennale reflects the Africell Impact Foundation long-term commitment to strengthening artistic communities in the countries where Africell operates. It builds on Africell’s support for platforms such as the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London, Also Known as Africa (AKAA) in Paris and the London Design Biennale, going beyond international visibility to contribute to the development of local creative ecosystems. Through its arts and culture programmes, the Foundation supports emerging talent, facilitates artistic exchanges and strengthens professional opportunities in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“Since 2008, the Lubumbashi Biennale has built an international reputation while championing local artists and cultivating a distinctive, research-led approach to contemporary art,” explains Adriana La Lime, Africell’s Arts and Social Impact Senior Manager, who runs the Africell Impact Foundation. “We are proud to support platforms like this that strengthen artistic communities beyond capital cities, create opportunities for local talent and connect them with broader international networks.”
Founded in 2008 by Picha, a collective of Congolese artists and an art and research centre, the Biennale has spent nearly two decades building a distinctive international reputation while remaining deeply rooted in the cultural life of Lubumbashi, a city that was originally established as an urban hub for Congo’s mining industry. The Biennale’s commitment to artistic production, critical research, knowledge-sharing and professional exchange has helped nurture the local creative ecosystem and connect artists from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with broader African and international networks.
The 2026 Biennale, entitled Eating the Soil, explores the material, social and imaginary legacies of extractivism, examining how land, knowledge, memory and communities are shaped by the history of resource extraction. All exhibitions and activities are free and open to the public, taking place at various venues across Lubumbashi from 15 October to 15 November 2026.
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