»White Cube« by Renzo Martens

Exploitation and colonial structures still underpin the economic prosperity of Western societies today, from which their art also benefits. Nevertheless, the connection between art and colonialism is often overlooked. The documentary “White Cube” by Renzo Martens traces the exciting attempt to reverse the flow of wealth through the use of colonial privileges.

On a palm oil and cocoa plantation once operated by Unilever, the work lies idle. So in order to get the economy going again, the collective of former workers that Renzo Martens creates designs works of art. The inhabitants of Lusanga, Congo, make sculptures from the clay of the neighboring river, which are then reproduced in chocolate and exhibited in New York. While the main ingredients cynically and politically allude to the exploitation of the ex-colony's resources, the conceptual project is simultaneously gaining attention and is increasingly supported by funding. In this way, Renzo Martens places consumer goods in direct relation to art; at the same time, the proceeds flow directly back into the village.

Through the financial resources that art brings to the village in this way, Renzo Martens creates an independent system that uses the logic of modern economics for its own benefit and at the same time exposes it. As art now generates relevant income, it takes on an immediate significance in the real world. Renzo Martens also alludes to a colonial tradition with the location of artistic creation: The building of the International Research Centre for Art and Economic Inequality (LIRCAEI) is a “white cube” that makes the recontextualization of art through its use visible in the middle of the plantation.

“White Cube” by Renzo Martens
Netherlands, Belgium, Democratic Republic of the Congo 2020 | 79 min.