@BPS22
La colère de Ludd *crédits photographiques: Leslie Artamonow
@FONDATION THALIE
@ROSSICONTEMPORARY
Amor et Roma *crédits photographiques: Vincent Everarts
Amor & Roma is the first act of a forthcoming trilogy, which, under the title Opéra Vaudou, inaugurates a new phase in Bénédicte Henderick's work. It reflects her fascination with certain aspects of Haitian and Beninese cultures, which the artist has explored in recent years through numerous trips to these countries. Add to this her frequent stays in Italy and her affection for that country, and you have the three cornerstones of her recent artistic explorations.
Fascinated by nomadism—a culture whose Tifinagh script she reuses in this installation, using large green letters to weave associations between images and ideas—the artist is well aware that while one can travel to ever-new places, one always carries the same things in one's luggage. In this sense, the current installation, dictated by the room's configuration, will appear different in another location. Veiled with unease, it stages a complex, ubiquitous, and paradoxical search for identity.
Much like the two fictional characters Amor and Roma: Amor, a male character bearing this African name, and Roma, a female figure, and a city. Mirroring lovers, like their names, complementary beings to the point of fusion. The initiation rites of Voodoo and their salient phases—from pain to purification, from radiance to apotheosis—are not only linked to the fantasy of love, but they also evoke the creative process in its broadest sense and the accompanying search for self. The exhibition comprises a collection of multifaceted works, created using different techniques and materials: photographic prints, sculptures and collages made from found materials, ink drawings, oil paintings, and transfers on canvas.
@ FONDATION VERBEKE
Belgian Contemporary Collages * crédits photographiques : Bénédicte Henderick
@CENTRE D'ART (COTONOU)
crédits photographiques: Warren Sare
For this exceptional workshop held in August in Abomey, 12 weavers and 5 experts came together to explore a single thread. Not just any thread, but the very thread that allows weavers to weave. Textile design, more than ever both distant from and close to tradition. Textiles explored through their materiality: fine hand-spun cotton from the cotton fields of Parakou or Lokossa, naturally dyed with indigo, mango, mahogany, Honsukwe, or simply polyester thread, interwoven with threads made from plastic bags, cement, or even repurposed cassette tapes. Weaving done collaboratively by two, four, or six hands allows everyone to exchange viewpoints, gain expertise, and grow. This weaving process is evolving towards new creations and new markets. The quality of this workshop stems from the interaction of artists, designers, and craftspeople. The program includes textile design with Estelle Chatelin and the 12 weavers of Abomey; industrial design with Vincent Baïlou and Eusèbe Adjamalé; art with Bénédicte Henderick; photography with Anne Sophie Costenoble and the Weziza association, composed of Louis Oké Agbo, Totché, Sophie Négrier, as well as Audace, Brunick, and Yanick; and fashion design with Prince Toffa.
@MAISON DES ARTS (SCHAERBEEK)
Préface
