Romuald Hazoumè (born 1962 in

Porto Novo Porto-Novo (Portuguese: "New Port", , ; yo, Àjàṣẹ́, ), also known as Hogbonu and Ajashe, is the capital of Benin. The commune covers an area of and as of 2002 had a population of 223,552 people. Situated on an inlet of the Gulf of Gu ...

) is a

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

artist from the Republic of Bénin, best known for his work '' La Bouche du Roi'', a reworking of the 1789 image of the

slave ship Slave ships were large cargo ships specially built or converted from the 17th to the 19th century for transporting slaves. Such ships were also known as "Guineamen" because the trade involved human trafficking to and from the Guinea coast ...

Brookes Brookes is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Barbara Brookes, New Zealand historian * Bruno Brookes, English broadcaster * Dennis Brookes, English cricketer * Ed Brookes (1881–1958), Irish international soccer player * ...

''. ''La Bouche du Roi'' was widely exhibited in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

as part of the centenary remembrance of the

Slave Trade Act 1807 The Slave Trade Act 1807, officially An Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom prohibiting the slave trade in the British Empire. Although it did not abolish the practice of slavery, it ...

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. He only uses recycled materials to create his works. Hazoumè is also known for his mask series, which he started in the mid-1980s. These masks, made from discarded gasoline canisters, resemble those used in traditional

African culture African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

and ceremonies. In explaining these works, Hazoumè has said: “I send back to the West that which belongs to them, that is to say, the refuse of consumer society that invades us every day.”CAACart.
/ref> Hazoumè is among the artists represented in

The Contemporary African Art Collection (CAAC) The Contemporary African Art Collection (CAAC) is a private collection created in 1989 by Jean Pigozzi, an Italian businessman. As of May 2022, the collection was based in Geneva, Switzerland, but it "does not have a permanent exhibition venue". ...

Jean Pigozzi Jean "Johnny" Pigozzi (born 1952), heir to the CEO of the automobile brand Simca, is an art collector, photographer, fashion designer and . He lives in Geneva. Biography Pigozzi is a "French-born Italian". He was born in Paris in 1952 and is ...

Selected exhibitions

Solo

*2012 ''Cargoland'' - October Gallery, London *2011 ''Romuald Hazoumè *2010 ''Romuald Hazoumè: My Paradise - Made in Porto Novo'', Gerisch-Stiftung, Neumünster, Germany *2009 ''Romuald Hazoumè: Made in Porto-Novo'', October Gallery, London *2009 ''Exit Ball'', Aliceday, Brussels, Belgium *2008 ''La Bouche du Roi'', Horniman Museum & Gardens, London *2007 ''La Bouche du Roi'': An artwork by Romuald Hazoumè, The British Museum, London, England *2006 ''La Bouche du Roi'', Musée du quai Branly, Paris, France *2005 ''Romuald Hazoumè Installation Art'', CAISA (City of Helsinki Cultural Office), Helsinki, Finland *2005 ''ARTicle 14 - débrouilles-toi, toi-même'', October Gallery, London *2001 ''Romuald Hazoumè''Galerie Olivier Houg, Lyon *1998 ''Romuald Hazoumè'', Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia *1997 ''Romuald Hazoumè'', Galerie 20, Arnhem

Group

*2010/2011 The Land Between Us, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, UK *2010/2011 The Global Africa Project, MAD – Museum of Arts and Design, New York *2010/2011 ''21st Century: Art in the First Decade'', Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia *2010 ''African Stories'', Marrakech Art Fair, Marrakech *2009 ''Against Exclusion'', 3rd biennale of Contemporary Art, The Garage Center for Contemporary Culture, Moscow, Russia *2008 ''Angaza Afrika - African Art Now'', October Gallery, London *2008 ''PetrodollART'', Galerie Motte et Rouard, Paris, France *2007/2008 ''Why Africa?'',

Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli The Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli is an art gallery in Turin, Italy. It opened in 2002 on the top floor of the Lingotto complex (the headquarters of the Italian auto giant Fiat founded in 1899 by Giovanni Agnelli), where a "scrigno" or 450 ...

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

, Italy *2007 ''UN/FAIR TRADE, Die Kunst der Gerechtigkeit'', Neue Galerie Graz am Landesmuseum Joanneum, Graz, Austria *2007 ''From Courage to Freedom - El Anatsui / Romuald Hazoumè / Owusu-Ankomah'', October Gallery, London *2004-2007 ''Africa Remix'', Dusseldorf; Hayward Gallery, London; Centre pompidou, Paris; Mori Art Museum, Tokyo; Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa *1999 ''Spaceship Earth'', Art in General, New York *1999 ''Paradise 8'', Exit Art, New York *1999 ''Liverpool Biennial: International Festival of Contemporary Art'', Liverpool, UK *1992 ''Out of Africa: Contemporary African Artists from the Pigozzi Collection'', Saatchi, Gallery, London

Awards and prizes

* 2009 3rd Biennale of Contemporary Art, Moscow * 2007 Arnold-Bode-Preis, documenta 12, Kassel * 1996 George-Maciunas-Preis, Wiesbaden

References

External links