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拍品专文
Thierry Oussou’s practice addresses issues of visibility, memory and authenticity. Working across painting, mixed media and performance, he draws upon his Beninese heritage to address the legacy of colonialism. He often engages with the sensitive issues of restitution and repatriation.
In 2018, he staged the unearthing of a Benin royal throne with archaeology students in Benin. The throne was in fact a replica of the throne of King Béhanzin, the last ruler of the Kingdom of Dahomey. The original throne is stored in Musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac in Paris, notably not on permanent public display. There has been a large drive in recent years by the Beninese government to see it brought home.
Trace VIII belongs to a series created using multiple layers of burnt and pasted paper. The rich surfaces speak to the accumulated history and pain of a human lifetime. Their scrawled, vivid figuration, Oussou says, was influenced by the slates used by schoolchildren to write answers.
Thierry Oussou was born in Benin and graduated from the Rijksakademie, Amsterdam, where he lives and works today. He exhibited at the Dakar Biennale in 2014, the Berlin Biennale in 2018 and the São Paulo Biennial in 2019. He was awarded the Tollman Award in 2018. He is represented by Lumen Travo Gallery, Amsterdam and Tiwani Contemporary, London and Lagos.
In 2018, he staged the unearthing of a Benin royal throne with archaeology students in Benin. The throne was in fact a replica of the throne of King Béhanzin, the last ruler of the Kingdom of Dahomey. The original throne is stored in Musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac in Paris, notably not on permanent public display. There has been a large drive in recent years by the Beninese government to see it brought home.
Trace VIII belongs to a series created using multiple layers of burnt and pasted paper. The rich surfaces speak to the accumulated history and pain of a human lifetime. Their scrawled, vivid figuration, Oussou says, was influenced by the slates used by schoolchildren to write answers.
Thierry Oussou was born in Benin and graduated from the Rijksakademie, Amsterdam, where he lives and works today. He exhibited at the Dakar Biennale in 2014, the Berlin Biennale in 2018 and the São Paulo Biennial in 2019. He was awarded the Tollman Award in 2018. He is represented by Lumen Travo Gallery, Amsterdam and Tiwani Contemporary, London and Lagos.