2023-07-30 23:14:57
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What is it about :Benin will present for the first time an official pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale in April 2024. Thanks to a lively press briefing on Friday July 28, 2023, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, Jean-Michel Abimbola, revealed the government’s expectations and ambitions through Benin’s participation in this unmissable event of world contemporary art. It was in the presence of the Commissioner of the pavilion, José Pliya, the director of the ADAC , William Codjo, from the curatorial committee and the 4 artists selected to represent Benin at this event. Participation in this flagship event which will be held in the city of the Doges from April 20 to November 24, 2024, is part of the dynamic of promoting Beninese contemporary art and more broadly in cultural policy.
What the minister said: According to the Minister of Culture, Benin does not want to go unnoticed at this major event of contemporary art. “Since 2016, Benin has decided to put tourism, culture and the arts as the second pillar of development,” said Minister Jean-Michel Abimbola. He notes an enhancement of the Beninese artistic and cultural scene since the restitution of royal treasures and the contemporary and historical diptych exhibition “Art of Benin, yesterday and today, from restitution to revelation”. The diptyque exhibition, he continues, has made it possible in particular to highlight the genius of our contemporary artists. According to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, the Venice Biennial of Contemporary Art is another opportunity for Benin to be on the international cultural scene. “We’re going to Venice to do a knockout hit,” he told the artists.
What did they do to enter the competition: At the end of the 2022 edition, the Beninese authorities took many steps to participate in the international biennial of contemporary art in Venice. According to the Commissioner of the Pavilion, José Pliya, an organizing committee chaired by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts has been set up as well as a curatorial committee. The latter was responsible for defining a curatorial concept, that is to say the story that Benin will have to tell, for selecting the artists who will represent Benin through works specifically produced for the biennale. “It was a long process to select these 4 wonderful artists for Benin’s first appearance at the Venice Biennale,” said the pavilion’s curator, Azu Nwagbogu. The theme chosen for this participation of Benin, according to him is: “Everything that is precious is fragile”. It is through the themes of spirituality, vodoun, the Amazon and the slave trade to present African and particularly Beninese feminism. According to him, this theme was defined following research and meetings with knowledgeable people. He wanted to thank the organizing committee, which gave the curatorial team the freedom to make artistic choices. For the director of the Agency for the Development of Arts and Culture (ADAC), in charge of the design of the Benin pavilion, everything is being implemented for Benin’s brilliant participation in the 60th biennial of Venice. Actions are underway to raise private funds to finance the Benin pavilion in Venice.
The 4 artists representing Benin
Who are the 4 selected artists:Four (4) artists namely Moufouli Bello, Chloé Quenum, IsholaAkpo and Romuald Hazoumé were chosen by the curatorial committee to represent Benin at this major global event. Moufouli Bello, born in Benin in 1987, is a visual and digital artist who studied at Le Fresnoy – National Studio of Contemporary Arts. Chloé Quenum, born in France in 1983, is a visual artist from the Beninese diaspora who works on multiple materials. Ishola Akpo, born in Ivory Coast in 1983, is an artist photographer known for his emblematic works on the queens of everyday life. And finally, Romuald Hazoumé, born in Benin in 1962, readily defines himself as an “Arê”, a term used to designate itinerant artists from the time of Yoruba royalty.
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