Léonard Pongo (b. 1988, Liège, Belgium) is a visual artist, photographer, and filmmaker working between Belgium and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Rooted in the Congolese diaspora, his multidisciplinary practice draws inspiration from the Congolese land, cultures, philosophies, and crafts. Pongo’s work explores and challenges the complex perceptions of the DRC and the African continent more broadly.
He began his career as a documentary photographer and gradually expanded his approach to incorporate snapshot, diary, and abstract photography, experimenting with various printing techniques, formats, moving image, mixed-media installations and textile. His work is deeply influenced by both personal heritage and collective history, often weaving allegorical and poetic narratives around identity, place, and transformation.
His long-term projects include The Uncanny, an exploration of urban Congolese society that garnered international acclaim and awards, and Primordial Earth, an ongoing visual and conceptual exploration of the rich and diverse landscapes of the DRC—creating an allegorical narrative about creation, apocalypse, and the natural world’s enduring power. The latter has received significant recognition, including the Prix de l’OIF at the Rencontres de Bamako, the CAP International Prize for Contemporary African Photography (2023), and was shown at the Tate Modern as part of A World in Common (2023–24).
Pongo’s work has been featured in numerous exhibitions across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the U.S. His work has been the subject of solo shows in Brussels at Contretype (2015), Bozar (2021), The Agprognostic Temple (2021), and in Ostend at Mu.ZEE (2022). He has also taken part in several group exhibitions and biennials, including Festival du Jeu de Paume (2025), A World in Common at TATE (2023), The Act of Breathing at Horst Festival (2022), IncarNations at Bozar (2019), JRSLM - Paradise Lost Again at the VUB (2019), the Dak'Art Biennial (Senegal, 2022 and 2024), BredaPhoto Festival (Netherlands, 2022), Lagos Photo Festival (Nigeria, 2020), the 6th Lubumbashi Biennial (DRC, 2019), Rencontres de Bamako (Mali, 2019), Rencontres d'Arles (France, 2017), and the 3rd Beijing Photo Biennial.
His photographs have been widely published in renowned media such as The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Washington Post, and National Geographic. He was selected as one of PDN’s 30 New and Emerging Photographers to Watch (2016), participated in the Joop Swart Masterclass (2018), and received several prestigious grants such as the Visura Grant (2017) and Getty Images Reportage Grant (2018). Roger Ballen personally selected Léonard Pongo among the Future Greats 2025 in ArtReview, highlighting The Uncanny series as embodying the unsettling, dreamlike tension where the familiar becomes mysterious.
His first monograph, The Uncanny, was published by Gost Books in 2023. His latest film, Tales from the Source had its international premiere at Doclisboa (Lisbon, 2024), followed by screenings at Cinema Galeries (Brussels), Bozar (Brussels, 2025), and as part of The Screen programme at Art Brussels 2025, curated by Eliel Jones and Alex Reynolds.
His work is part of international institutional and private collections, including KANAL – Centre Pompidou (Belgium), the Flemish Community (FOMU), Mu.ZEE (Belgium), the Chazen Museum of Art (USA), and the Sindika Dokolo Foundation (Angola/Portugal).
Léonard is currently developing new work for a major solo exhibition scheduled for fall 2026 at FOMU (Antwerp).
Beyond his artistic practice, Pongo is committed to education and mentorship. He teaches Documentary Photography at the Kinshasa Academy of Fine Arts (ABA), is an associate researcher at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, and co-directs The Photographic Collective, a platform supporting lens-based artists from and in Africa. He also co-mentors the FAM mentorship program for women artists alongside Otobong Nkanga at MINO Lab in Antwerp.