Past Film/Video | Contemporary Screen | Documentaries

The Tree of Authenticity

(L’arbre de l’authenticité, Sammy Baloji, 2025)

A person in a white cap examines a tree trunk with a translucent vintage portrait of a man's face superimposed on the bark.
Sep 20, 2026 1:00 PM
Film/Video Theater

Free for all audiences with ticket

For ticketing questions please call the Visitor Desk at (614) 292-3535.

A limited number of listening devices are available upon request.

If you have questions about accessibility or require an accommodation to participate in this event, please email accessibility@wexarts.org or call (614) 688-3890. Visit our Accessibility page to learn more.

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Journey through history and the natural world in this poetic exploration of environmental science and colonialism in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Sammy Baloji’s latest film takes viewers on an immersive and experimental journey through the ruins of the Yangambi INERA (National Institute for Agronomic Research) research station, one of the largest tropical research centers in the world. Baloji weaves together the letters and journals of two scientists who worked at Yangambi between 1910 and 1950 to examine how environmental science and colonialism overlapped there in ways that continue to resonate today. Described as “a fascinating look at how extraction can take many forms, even within the context of sustainability,” The Tree of Authenticity subverts human-centered approaches to thinking about the climate crisis in a formal twist that lends the film its profound poetic sensibility and boasts a richly layered soundscape best appreciated in a theater. In French and Dutch with English subtitles. (89 mins., DCP)

This film is presented in conjunction with Sammy Baloji: When Extraction Becomes Form It Speaks in Borrowed Tongues.

IMAGE CAPTION
The Tree of Authenticity, courtesy of Twenty Nine Studios.
 

"A much-needed disruption to Belgian colonial archives, which dominate historical narratives in Congo."
The Film Verdict

In the press

About the filmmaker

Sammy Baloji

Since 2005, Sammy Baloji (b. 1978, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)) has traced the entangled histories of the DRC. He delves into the cultural, architectural, and industrial legacies of the mineral-rich Katanga region while scrutinizing the enduring structures of Belgian colonialism. 
 
Baloji lives between Brussels and his hometown and is pursuing a PhD on contemporary kasala (a ceremonial poem) and lukasa (a memory board used in ritual performances) as forms of geopolitical knowledge. A Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, founder of the Rencontres Picha/Biennale de Lubumbashi, and participant in major biennials worldwide, he is widely recognized as one of the most influential artists working today. Solo exhibitions of his work have been presented at National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens (2025); Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art, London (2024–25); Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington DC (2017); and Los Angeles County Museum of Art (2015–16); among others.

Tag(s)

Program Support

SUPPORT FOR FILM PROGRAMS PROVIDED BY

Rohauer Collection Foundation

WEXNER CENTER PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY

Greater Columbus Arts Council

Ohio Arts Council, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts

CampusParc

The Columbus Foundation

The Ohio State University

Wexner Center Foundation Board

With special thanks to our members

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A gallery containing a glass and wood display case, an architectural model of an open structure with curved roof supports, and images of a building and building plans.
Now Exhibitions

Sammy Baloji: When Extraction Becomes Form It Speaks in Borrowed Tongues

Now through February 14, 2027
Multiple Dates/Times Available
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Past Film/Video

The Tree of Authenticity

Sep 20, 2026 1:00 PM EST
Film/Video Theater

Free for all audiences with ticket

For ticketing questions please call the Visitor Desk at (614) 292-3535.

A limited number of listening devices are available upon request.

If you have questions about accessibility or require an accommodation to participate in this event, please email accessibility@wexarts.org or call (614) 688-3890. Visit our Accessibility page to learn more.

Become a Member