Born in Kinshasa, but a long-term resident of Brussels, Aime Mpane maintains a studio in both cities, traveling frequently between the two. The son and grandson of woodcarvers, his main interest is in the colonial and post-colonial relationship between the Congo and Belgium.

Mpane takes as his starting point the moment King Leopold II seized control of the 'Congo Free State' in 1884. Leopold held onto power in the Congo using his mercenaries, the 'Force Publique'. Under his regime, it has been estimated that millions of Congolese may have died as a result of his administrative abuses of the country's people and resources. Leopold was eventually forced to relinquish power in 1908 by the...