Romuald Hazoumè: Solo Show

Gagosian Gallery displays Romuald Hazoumé , curated by André Magnin, from April 19th to July 16th 2016 at two exhibition spaces.

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« Clearly observations of the present and its problems, reflections on the past and its oblivion, recollections of myths and reinterpretations of plastic forms are inseparable in the work of Hazoumè. It is this density and this consistency that make him so powerfully expressive and captivating.. »

Philippe Dagen in”Arè”, The Zinsou Foundation Notebooks, Fondation Zinsou, 2015, p.46

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“Hazoumè uses recovered shapes and objects in his works that cover a wide range of expression. If they often refer to Voodoo principles and to registers of symbolic meaning such as cosmogonical, they also have an emotional impact,drawing from characters and personalities from theatre. More than just a simple recycling of materials, Hazoumè’s vocabulary joins western art’s concern for dematerialization, giving more freedom and more meaning to his figures. But Hazoumè is also concerned with issues directly related to the daily life of his country. With his work, he reports on the illegal and banal practice of gasoline smuggling. Small motorcycles that disappear under a harness of cans that carry foolish amounts of gasoline over the borders directly to the users, rolling bombs driven on paths to escape the various checkpoints. The artist depicts this reality by focusing on the jerrycans themselves echoing his work with masks. Their distorted plastic underlines the tragic farce of this practice. Once again, shapes and experiences are closely related.”

Christophe Domino & André Magnin, Contemporary African Art, Scala Editions, 2005, p.106-107.

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Opening Reception April 17, 2016 – 2:00 PM @ GAGOSIAN Gallery
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PARIS – LE BOURGET /GAGOSIAN GALLERY
26, avenue de l’Europe, 93350 Le Bourget & Project Space, second floor, 4 rue de Ponthieu, 75008 Paris