Aubin Mukoni's The Silent Lake Featured by Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam
Foam Fotografiemuseum in Amsterdam highlights the impactful work of Aubin Mukoni, recognized as a runner-up in the prestigious Foam Talent program. His compelling series, The Silent Lake, offers a profound photographic exploration of Lake Kivu, a vital yet vulnerable natural wonder bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
Exploring Critical Environmental Themes Through Photography in Amsterdam
Mukoni's The Silent Lake delves into the complex relationship between humanity and nature at Lake Kivu. As the eighth-largest lake in Africa, it is both a significant source of fish and an area grappling with environmental challenges, including a high concentration of methane gas with volcanic origins. The series captures this inherent duality—the lake's capacity to both sustain and devastate.
Through his lens, Mukoni illustrates the numerous human-made pressures threatening the lake’s delicate ecosystem. Images depict the impact of overfishing, rising water temperatures exacerbated by climate change, and widespread plastic pollution. These issues directly endanger fish populations and compromise the livelihoods of communities depending on the lake's resources. The artist also documents how plastic debris clogs critical infrastructure, such as hydroelectric dams, and highlights the ongoing risk posed by insufficient methane gas extraction, which could lead to a catastrophic release of carbon dioxide.
The Silent Lake not only documents these environmental crises but also portrays Lake Kivu as an active entity rather than a passive backdrop. Mukoni’s work presents the lake as a symbiotic organism with its own narrative, profoundly affected by human activity.
About the Artist
Aubin Mukoni is a photographer and filmmaker based in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo. His work frequently brings visibility to unseen realities, serving as an eyewitness account and an advocacy tool through powerful imagery. Mukoni has collaborated with various international organizations on conflict-resolution projects and his photojournalistic assignments have covered significant events, including regional conflicts and humanitarian crises among displaced populations in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This feature on Aubin Mukoni's series The Silent Lake was originally published in Foam Magazine #68: Talent in June 2026, with text contributed by Isabel Walter, Assistant Curator at Foam and Editorial Assistant for Foam Magazine.
To explore more groundbreaking photography and discover upcoming exhibitions, consider browsing the diverse collections at Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam or finding more cultural insights with Musemap (musemap.art) by searching for other museums in Amsterdam.
