From April 04, 2024 to April 28, 2025, the exhibition “Memoria : récits d’une autre Histoire” takes over the Fondation H‘s artistic space with enriching works, all communicating a collective memory. This shared consciousness reveals a host of questions, stories and experiences scattered throughout our individual and intimate memories, through the creations of outstanding artists currently at the forefront of the contemporary art scene. Their work represents an allegory for the reconstruction of a collective and planetary whole, a vector for a fresh look at contemporary creation in Africa and its diasporas.
Under the direction of curators Nadine Hounkpatin and Céline Seror, “Memoria : récits d’une autre Histoire” is an immersive artistic presentation highlighting the importance of African creation and its diaspora. Taking an artistic, cultural and historical approach, the exhibition defends obstructed memories, annihilated or mutilated narratives. Through the artistic expressions of 22 contemporary actors, “Memoria : récits d’une autre Histoire” stimulates collective memory, revealing the unspoken and lifting the veil on the continent’s cultural and historical heritage.
This collective exhibition has already traveled to France at the Frac Nouvelle-Aquitaine MÉCA, to Abidjan at the Museum of Contemporary Cultures, Adama Toungara, and then to the National Museum of Cameroon, before being presented at the Fondation H art center in Antananarivo. Visitors will have the opportunity to explore the expressive works on display and analyze these creations, which reveal with unparalleled depth the ambition to delocalize the boundaries of art, to “gather the elsewhere” and highlight the plurality of our individual and collective histories.
Through an inspiring diversity of mediums, from painting and performance to sculpture, textiles and video, the works in the exhibition offer a journey through a disillusioned reading of a fragment of history and widespread beliefs about the continent, as well as the persistent influence of certain imaginaries, particularly in the field of economics and resource distribution.
For this latest instalment of the touring exhibition, the Malagasy art center will host works by the following contemporary artists: Joey Aresoa, Olivia Bourgois, Joana Choumali, Dalila Dalléas Bouzar, Justine Gaga, Enam Gbewonyo, Georgina Maxim, Tuli Mekondjo, Marie-Claire Messouma Manlanbien, Myriam Mihindou, Josèfa Ntjam, Gosette Lubondo, Barbara Portailler, Selly Raby Kane, Miora Rajaonary, Amalia Ramanankirahina, Richianny Ratovo, Carine Ratovonarivo, Vonjiniaina Ratovonirina, Na Chainkua Reindorf, Mary Sibande, and Charlotte Yonga.
In parallel with this deployment, the Fondation H is setting up a residency program enabling artists to create works in situ in collaboration with Malagasy craftsmen and artists, and to supply local materials. This specificity adds a new dimension to “Memoria : récits d’une autre Histoire“. The integration of new works created during the residency enriches the theme of the exhibition by offering a temporal expansion of the artists’ narratives, as well as an enriching experience of collaboration with local actors.
With a varied selection of works and creative techniques, “Memoria : récits d’une autre Histoire” highlights the committed practice of artists who have mastered the art of storytelling, anchored in their changing geographies and times. The exhibition invites us to reflect on our ability to decentralize our gaze, to analyze the relevance of plural narratives, and to question what we consider the norm or the reference.
“Memoria : récits d’une autre Histoire“, to be held at the Fondation H, is organized into three chapters dealing respectively with the reinvention of a shared history, memory in a political context, and a fully assumed creative collective perspective.
CHAPTER I: FROM THE INTIMATE TO THE UNIVERSAL: RECREATING A SHARED HISTORY
This first part of the exhibition explores the various paths taken by artists to reveal, through their personal or intimate experiences, a collective memory. Richianny Ratovo subjects the complexity of love to visual meditation, revealing the twists and turns along the path to true love. Through the materiality of her art, Vonjiniaina Ratovonirina invites visitors to reflect deeply on the notion of individuality as a vector of political commitment to the community interest.
Miora Rajaonary examines the symbolism of the lamba, a traditional Malagasy garment whose meaning varies according to its use and the wearer. The artist has created a series of studio photographs to analyze the emblematic value of this customary local fabric. Olivia Bourgois evokes “family intimacy” to question notions of identity, transmission, heritage and the understanding of a sacred lineage between women. Through her heterogeneous textile sculptures, Georgina Maxim intimately connects us to the memory of the people represented by her creations.
Tuli Mekondjo‘s canvases depict a deep personal narrative, sharing a trauma linked to exile and also to Namibian history through an immersive visual combination of paintings, seeds, patterns, plants and details of archival photographs. In a filmed performance, Myriam Mihindou expresses a powerful story about identity and self-esteem, using her voice and body to convey her message.
Joana Choumali takes us into a world of embroidered photographs, calling for introspection and observation of nature, far from criticism but in search of comfort, strength and hope. To close this first chapter of the exhibition, Charlotte Yonga explores the themes of tradition, identity and heritage through an inspiring account of a village chief’s winding journey to France.
CHAPTER II: WHEN MEMORY BECOMES POLITICS
In this chapter of “Memoria récits d’une autre Histoire“, the role of memory is appreciated in a context of social demand and megaphone. Orientated in a critical phase, this part of the exhibition examines how artists use this heritage as a tool for denunciation, focusing on issues such as the representation of the black body, the exploitation of bodies and natural resources, gender issues and post-colonialism.
For photographer Gosette Lubondo, it’s the duty to remember that offers a free critical analysis of a fragment of the colonial history of her country, the Democratic Republic of Congo. As for Enam Gbewonyo, she bears witness to her experience as a black woman in a world that is consciously and unconsciously hostile to her. To illustrate this hostility in so many ways, the artist has chosen the flesh-colored nylon stocking, an intimate and widespread object, as a symbol of antinomy and invisibilization.
Through a large-scale installation, Justine Gaga encourages visitors to reflect on major societal issues. Alternating between politics and intimacy, Dalila Dalléas Bouzar uses portraiture to revive the duty of memory and history. Mary Sidande, through her photographic and sculptural works, denounces the contexts of exploitation and domination in South African history.
Back on the island of her origins, Amalia Ramanankirahina lets herself be guided by the power of plants and minerals. Inspired by these natural materials, she reveals how the exploitation of natural resources echoes the history of human exploitation, while emphasizing that these same resources offer unique means of resistance, transformation and building a collective future.
To close this second part of the exhibition “Memoria: récits d’une autre Histoire“, Carine Ratovonarivo creates a work of embroidery using current events in Madagascar as a thread to renew the memory and history of the island.
CHAPTER III: FABULATIONS, FICTIONS AND OTHER IMAGINARIES
The third chapter of the touring exhibition reveals an innovative, emancipated and proud window on a memory that has been assumed and celebrated. It establishes an ongoing dialogue between new technologies, art, science and a form of social activism, creating a fertile ground for the writing of new, subversive narratives. This context ties in perfectly with the artistic practice of Josèfa Ntjam, who unveils futuristic narratives through performances and multimedia installations.
Similarly, Na Chainkua Reindorf’s innovative artistic approach sees sculptural works collaborate with organic materials such as threads and beads, creating weaving, spinning and sewing. This multi-disciplinary fusion of relevance and aesthetics reveals a curious mix of West African histories and techniques. For Selly Raby Kane, this window into a future assumed from collective memory materializes in a virtual reality film presenting a fantasized African capital.
Next, Marie-Claire Messouma Manlanbien shares her avant-garde perspective on shared memory. Following her residency at Fondation H, she created a meticulous selection of natural elements, all contributing to the materialization of a narrative, inviting viewers to reflect on notions of respect and “care” in the sense of attention and nurturing. As for Joey Aresoa, she presents a virtual library created from scratch, serving as a guide for anyone wishing to explore real or imaginary stories, testimonies to a memory and heritage to be preserved, respected and passed down through the ages.
Finally, Barbara Portailler closes the exhibition with a collective, participatory work inviting each visitor to write a memo containing a message for personal or universal use, using textile straps. This joint initiative draws on the public’s imagination, helping to create a collective memory.
