The Biennale Internationale de Sculpture de Ouagadougou (BISO), the main biennale devoted to contemporary sculpture on the African continent, is a leading artistic event in Africa and its diaspora, dedicated to sculpture in all its forms.
After the success of the first two editions under the theme “Daring to invent the future“, and “Ambiguous Adventure“, the objective of the BISO 2023 Biennale is to strengthen the support and perception of sculpture specialists and to combine their position in the contemporary art market.
The two characteristics of the Biennale Internationale de Sculpture de Ouagadougou (BISO) 2023 will be as follows:
– Artistic residency in September 2023: lasting from 15 to 30 days, at the choice of the Committee. These residencies will take place in the partner premises of the BISO in Ouagadougou.
– The exhibition of the International Biennial of Sculpture of Ouagadougou at the beginning of October 2023: organized at the French Institute of Ouagadougou for a duration of one month.
BISO 2023 under the theme: “The fire of origins
A true adventure in the heart of colonization, “The Fire of Origins” ventures from the bush to the city, following the footsteps of a legend in rebellion, Mandala Mankunku.
From his impressive birth to his final years, Mandala’s life tells the story of his country, the Congo, and his continent, Africa.
The appalling development of the Congolese railroad, the dismemberment of the nation, and up to the immense use of men during the 1940 conflict, where Chad, Cameroon, Central Africa and the Congo will form the foundations of France.
Then, by this time, cleared by the colonial power, exhausted by the political battles and after the conflict, matured like those children left to seek advancement in the West, Mandala Mankunku had to find the fire of his beginnings. An incredible story of the change of an African region and individuals by the European colonization.
At the center of this adventure, the fundamental character, Mandala Mankunku, metallurgist, child of a blacksmith and master sculptor, virtuoso of the imagination, eager for information and liberation, adjusts and opposes with enthusiasm the power of the pilgrims through his specialty.
For in the end, sculpture is a unique fire, which binds and recovers art in Africa. The decision of the theme “The Fire of Origins” for this 2023 edition of the International Biennial of Sculpture of Ouagadougou (BISO) is also a recognition for the Burkinabe metal culture, the fire of the hearth and the product.