The group show Ce que nous donne la terre (What the Earth Gives Us) is a call to pay attention to our environment, its mutations and the depletion of its resources - marking the end of a period of abundance.
The group show Ce que nous donne la terre (What the Earth Gives Us) is a call to pay attention to our environment, its mutations and the depletion of its resources - marking the end of a period of abundance. In the words of Felwine Sarr, it is about "considering nature not as a resource that we exploit, but as a place that shelters us and offers us life." In this way, the artists witness the sensitive connections that bind humans to the earth and imagine new ways of living together. From this awareness emerges the need to rethink our relationship with the world, to break away from the Anthropocene: the era of humans - "a geophysical force which, through its activity, has gradually altered the atmosphere and climate, as well as the composition of the world's flora and fauna" - and reach a terrestrial equilibrium where all living beings evolve in harmony.
Ousmane Niang, Cristiano Mangovo and Hervé Yamguen explore new forms of hybridity. Humans and plants merge, standing like protective guardians of the environment. The symbiosis of different species gives rise to new beings that resist and adapt to external disturbances. These creatures remind us of the importance of reconnecting with nature through a form of communion within the living. Calling on a duty of protection, the artists draw an alternative and sustainable future.
Ozioma Onuzulike, Salifou Lindou, Temandrota and Eva Obodo each integrate natural elements into the composition of their works. They highlight both the beauty and fragility of nature, challenging our relationship with the environment. Saïdou Dicko, with his works on organic cotton, handmade in Burkina Faso and adorned with recycled plastic elements, synthesises ancestral know-how with today's concerns of reuse. Also, Jean David Nkot's work on the exploitation of cotton - considered for being the material at the origin of the industrial revolution and the beginnings of capitalism - questions the consequences of the market economy and North/South relations, pointing out the exploitation of people and natural resources. Ecological awareness - listening to the Earth to protect it - leads to the need to preserve the ecosystem and abandon any forms of domination.
Nasreddine Bennacer, Omar Mahfoudi and Moustapha Baidi Oumarou instil in their work the idea of a mystical exile: a desire for communion with nature, while Hyacinthe Ouattara and Beya Gille Gacha activate the spiritual bond uniting humans to the earth. In this way, the artists present a benevolent, living nature in which individuals can find themselves.
Curated by Michaëla Hadji-Minaglou
