International Baccalaureate
Extended Essay - Visual Arts
Abstract
Within this research
investigation I have explored Romuald Hazoumé’s body of work in relation to my
research question:
How
does the work of African social commentary artist, Romuald Hazoumé demonstrate
tension between African and European Cultures?
Hazoumé’s
work references many different cultures and their histories. The scope of his
body of work is vast. In this research investigation I have limited this scope
to best illustrate the aspects of Hazoumé’s work that demonstrate the tension
between these cultures. The aspects are: Hazoumé’s reference to traditional
African mask making practices; his commentary on slave and oil theft in Africa;
and his visual documentation of the lives of the Benin petrol smugglers.
To
best illustrate these aspects I have constructed an in-depth analysis of two of
Hazoumé’s works, La Bouche Du Roi and
his mask series. I have also explored the commentary aspects of his works, Roulette Béninoise and Made in Porto-Novo.
From
my analysis of these works and the particular aspects which I focused on, I
have concluded that Hazoumé’s work demonstrates tension between African and
European cultures on many different levels. Hazoumé uses his material choice to
comment on slave and oil theft in Africa. This has caused tension between these
two cultures for centuries as Europeans exploit Africa. Hazoumé also uses the
imagery of masks to reference the art practice of 20th century avant-garde
artists and the theft of traditional art that has occurred in the international
art community. Hazoumé also uses visual storytelling techniques to depict the
lives of petrol smugglers in Benin and to show European gallery audience how their
lifestyle is affecting the African people.
By
combining these elements in carefully constructed artworks that have rich
cultural significance and beautiful social commentary aspects, Hazoumé’s work
is able to demonstrate the tension between African and European cultures.
Word
Count: 300
Introduction
Romuald Hazoumé is an African social
commentary artist. Born in Benin, his cultural heritage is the keystone of his
arts practice. After workshopping with Hazoumé in the Brisbane Gallery of
Modern Art (GoMA) on the M.I.B (Made in
Brisbane) project I was compelled to look further into how Romuald Hazoumé ‘s work demonstrates
tension between African and European Cultures. I wanted to concentrate particularly on his mask series, three pieces of which were
purchased by GoMA along with two of his photographs for the 21st Century Art: art in the first decade
exhibition (18 December 2010 – 26 April 2011).
The Republic of Benin is a small country in
the west of Africa that borders Nigeria. Romuald Hazoumé works and resides in
Benin’s capital, Porto-Novo, a lowly populated city just off the coast. Benin’s
largest city however is Cotonou. Resting on the small coastal stretch of Benin
it is very heavily populated in comparison to Porto-Novo. Hazoumé’s work draws
from both the heavy urbanization of Cotonou and the natural environment of
Porto-Novo.
As well as using his country’s environment
to influence his arts practice, Hazoumé’s material choice is keystone in his
presentation of themes and concepts. His use of discarded materials is a highly
symbolic reference to the culture and history of Africa, both contemporary and
historical. Hazoumé comments particularly on slave trade in Africa. It is
because of this symbolism that his work has been so well received by the art
world.
Traditional African art has a history of
exhibition in European galleries. It is particularly well known for the
influence it had on 20th Century European avant-garde art. Hazoumé
plays off this history in a whimsical way that develops his strong standing as
a commentary artist. Secondary sources such as exhibition catalogues, curator’s
comments, didactics and texts concerning the history of African art will be
used to further explore this history that Hazoumé comments on.
Although GoMA has exhibited African art in
the past, Hazoumé’s marks and photographs were GoMA’s first major purchase of
contemporary African art. Their selection of Hazoumé’s work and the context it
was exhibited in highlighted the historical significance of the work in a
global context. Hazoumé's
work has been exhibited all over the world. He first exhibited at Night of Art in Helsinki, Finland in 1990 and is now exhibiting in GoMA. This
is due to his ability to reflect on not only his cultures traditional arts
practice but also that of European avant-garde artists.
This is why
his art practice, and the exploration of it in this essay is so important to
the art world. By analyzing Hazoumé’s mask series along with his other works, La Bouche Du Roi and Roulette Béninoise, in relation to their
placement within the context in European art history I will be able to highlight
the tension between African and European culture that he brings to demonstrate
in his work.
La Bouche Du Roi
[Fig. 1.]
La Bouche Du Roi
Romuald Hazoumè (Benin)
1997-2005
The British Museum
The Menil Collection, Houston
La
Bouche Du Roi was one of Hazoumé’s first works to
be exhibited in western society. It combines several different themes and
concepts, one of the most prominent being the trade of slaves from Africa to
the Caribbean and America. La Bouche Du
Roi translates to Mouth of the King. The title is referring to a place in
the republic of Benin where slaves were gathered together to be traded.
Upon first viewing this work in photographs
the thing that comes across the strongest is the immense scale of the work.
This would be even more overwhelming when viewing the work in person. The work
uses repetition very pointedly to convey symbolic meaning. I did not realize
until I researching the work and spoke with Hazoumé. An audience member, who
also lacked this context for the work, may find the repetition easy to become
lost in, consequently missing the small symbols within the work.
The work consists of many different factors
that contribute to its overall meaning. It merges materials such as jerry cans
and spices as well as digital video and audio. The items are positioned on the
floor to create a representation of the famous print of the 18th
century slave ship The Brookes, a
copy of which was exhibited next to the work.
[Fig. 2.] “The Brookes" print - inspiration for "La Bouche Du
Roi"
The work aims to provoke the feeling
that the audience is in the slave ship. This is exhibited through the incorporation
of smell, sound, sight, and scale. From discussions with Hazoumé and curators
didactics I learned that spices were incorporated into the work for two
reasons. Firstly, they were one of the many things traded and stolen from
Africa and taken to European countries. Secondly, they were used to provide
scents that would give the façade that the audiences were in the slave ship. As
well as spices for scent to create this effect, audio was played around the
sculpture and at the bow of the ship a video work was shown depicting the
smuggling of petrol across the borders of Nigeria and Benin. The mass scale of
the work also contributes to this façade Hazoumé creates by dwarfing the
audience member in comparison, making them feel insignificant and positioning
them in the situation the slaves onboard the ship would have been in.
Within the composition repetition is
essential. The repetition of the shape, size and colour of the jerry cans is
symbolic of the views Europeans had of Africans. Europeans treated Africans as
objects they could steal and trade and to the Europeans they all looked the
same. This repetition is also used to more successfully portray the print of The Brooks. The colours in the work use
a dull palette. This is to illustrate the bleak nature of slave trade and also
create the mood and emotion that would have been present on the ship.
[Fig. 3.]
Detail
of “La Bouche Du Roi”
A focal point is created in the work.
Towards the starboard of the ship a penetrating yellow breaks the dull colour
scheme. The yellow jerry can is composed to form a mask wearing a crown. Next
to it is a black mask. This mask also draws in your attention as it is situated
next to the focal point and spacing has been left around it to isolate it from
the rest of the jerry cans.
When speaking to Hazoumé about this work he
said that these two masks symbolized the two governments involved in the trade
of artefacts from Africa. The yellow mask symbolized the European government
and the black mask the African government. The black mask is positioned next to
the yellow mask to illustrate how the African government was taking a back seat
to the government of the European nations and in a metaphorical sense, letting
them drive the boat.
Between these two masks are the scales of
justice tipping slightly towards the yellow mask. Above the two masks is a
rifle. These two elements together are symbolic of the tension between these
two societies at the time. Europeans saw the wealth Africa had to offer, in
minerals, spices, slaves and now oil. They used force to steal these items from
Africa as symbolized by the rifle and the African government allowed them to do
it. When asking Hazoumé about this conflict he said to me,
“Everyone thinks
of Africa as a poor country but we are not poor, we are very rich and our
government does not know how to deal with this wealth so they let others take
it.” (Hazoumé, 2010)
La
Bouche Du Roi was first exhibited in the British
Museum from 22 March to 13 May 2007 as part of the celebration of the
bicentenary of the establishment of the Slave Trade Act. The context in which
it was exhibited adds to the tension that Hazoumé illustrates in his work. Hazoumé
spoke to me about how he creates his works with the intention of them being
exhibited in western society. Critics of the bicentennial exhibition at the
British Museum raised the point that exhibiting these contemporary works that
speak so strongly about the theft of, not only slaves but also cultural artefacts
only draws attention to the fact that this is what the British museum did.
The contemporary works purchased by the
British museum were exhibited along side the permanent collection that consists
of some African historical artefacts that were taken from the continent around
the same time as the slave trade that La
Bouche De Roi addresses. Most of the artefacts exhibited from Africa in the
British Museum are African masks. Hazoumé comments on this in his use of the
jerry cans to represent the faces of the slaves as well as the African styled
masks at the starboard of the ship. Hazoumé broadens the significance of this
symbol within this work further in his mask series.
Hazoumé uses plastic jerry cans in all of
his works. Many of his photographic works and the video element of La Bouche Du Roi depict these cans being
used to smuggle items such as rice, water and petrol within Benin and neighboring
Nigeria. The jerry cans and the items they carry have a symbolic significance
in Hazoumé’s work. Hazoumé uses the jerry cans in his works to comment on the
poor quality of life in Africa due to other countries exploiting the continent
for its oil. This work also comments on how Africa has always been viewed as a
fountain of wealth, in both natural and human recourses, a fountain that
Europeans have exploited throughout history.
La
Bouche Du Roi uses all of these elements to
visually tell the history of slave trade in Africa. The work is rich in
symbolism as well as cultural heritage. Hazoumé pushes the work further with
the use of recycled and found objects situating the sculpture in a contemporary
framework. By combining the use of visual story telling, cultural heritage and
contemporary techniques he is able to demonstrate the tension that existed
between African and European cultures during this time of conflict.
The Mask Series
[Figs. 4-6.]
Hazoumé extends the concepts he was dealing
with in La Bouche Du Roi with his series of masks. Constructed from the same
materials as La Bouche Du Roi, plastic jerry cans used to smuggle petrol from
Benin to Nigeria, Hazoumé shows the progression of what is being stolen from
Africa in this series. Hazoumé uses masks to depict the people who smuggle this
petrol, while also connecting back to traditions of African Art and the
avant-garde traditions of 20th century European artists.
Hazoumé uses the plastic jerry cans as the
base for his works. He also uses other material to add to the aesthetics of his
masks. In Liberté, porcupine quills
and fabric are used. In other masks Hazoumé uses found objects from the rubbish
dumped in Africa by western societies. Hazoumé also uses blown out jerry cans
in his masks. His work On/Off is an
example of this. The petrol smugglers
make these cans by pouring small amounts of petrol into a jerry can then
dropping a match into it, thus blowing it out. This is done so that petrol
smugglers can hold more petrol in the one can. This however compromises the
integrity of the container and makes the transportation process risky.
The colours, tones and composition of each
of the masks vary greatly. Hazoumé said that he makes his masks in the images
of the people he meets as he follows petrol smugglers around Benin. The unique
attributes of these design principles are what give each of these characters
their personality. As well as commenting on the smuggling of petrol, Hazoumé
makes a comment on human interactions. He spoke to me about how quick we are to
judge other people based on how they look. This concept in his work also
alludes to the fact that western countries quickly judge Africa as a poor
continent based on its appearance.
"Western
people have a lot of cliche about Africa, and I'm sad for that. Everyone wants
to see old masks from Africa, because that fits the cliche, but what I give
them is the new mask from Africa, made with the rubbish they send to us every
day, rubbish we didn't need." (Hazoumé, 2010)
By making Masks the subject of his series,
Hazoumé creates an interesting feedback loop. African masks have been one of
the many artefacts taken from Africa to be exhibited in western galleries. Western culture has a significant
domination over the international art community. Being mainly More Economically
Developed Countries that have the luxury of being able to invest in art. This
has major implications on the culture of Less Economically Developed Countries
such as Africa whose traditional artworks are taken away to be exhibited in
rich countries. In terms of Hazoumé's work, he makes pieces for the specific
purpose of being exhibited in western galleries. This western dominance is what
underpins his conceptual approach as he plays off the views Europeans hold of
traditional African art.
Frank
Willett's book African Art written
in 1971 talks about how African art
was viewed in a Western culture from several points of view. African art was
originally declared 'Primitive Art'. This term was coined in Da Vinci's time.
Da Vinci considered painting to be the most evolved form of art. Sculpture,
Africa's main art form, was considered the most primitive.
Traditional
African sculpture focused on the expression and emotion of each character that
was sculptured. Consisting of mainly human forms the works would tell the story
of the person much like Hszoumé’s work. This concept of expressionism in art
was quite contrary to Da Vinci’s approach, where art was treated as a science
or mathematics and art had a correct answer.
However
these ideals of what art is, were altered rapidly by the avant-garde artist of
the 20th century. Artists such as Man Ray and Picasso were heavily
influenced by the expressionistic qualities they discovered, by looking at
traditional African art.
[Figs.
7-9.]
Picasso
drew connections between African masks and the human form, as can be seen in
his work, Head of a Woman. Man Ray
took a similar approach in his work Noire
at Blanche. The work of these artists during this time was well received by
the general public. An increasing popularity of the avant-garde artists meant
an increase in demand for traditional African art and even more cultural artefacts
were stolen and exhibited in western galleries.
The
appreciation of expressionism established in the 20th century has
become embodied in 21st century art. Hazoumé plays off this history
of avant-garde art, particularly in this series with his imagery of the mask. By
creating his work with the intension of their exhibition in western galleries,
he is commenting on the fascination that Europeans had of African art a century
ago. African masks were taken from their home country to be exhibited in
western galleries. Hazoumé explained it to me as an exchange. In exchange for
taking their people to be slaves, their oil to run our society and their
cultural artefacts for our own fascination, western societies gave Africa their
rubbish. Hazoumé makes this rubbish into masks so that he can send it back to
the countries that left it there.
“Today, if you
want to see the old masks from Africa, you need to go to the British Museum or
shops in Paris and London. So I make new ones with the rubbish people send to
us from Europe, and I send them back to galleries with my culture inside them.
We in Africa are losing our culture and if we lose it, we’re dead. We think
your culture is better than ours, but our culture is so rich.” (Hazoumé, 2009)
His
contemporary approach to African art continues to influence the western culture
just like that of Africa’s traditional artists. The conceptual depth and
cultural references of his award winning La
Bouche Du Roi are what audiences remember.
Hazoumé’s current series of work focuses on these traditional African
art tools of expressionism and storytelling as they take the form of masks
created from recycled material. However exhibiting in western galleries is the
reason many people describe this series as his ‘tongue in cheek’ masks. By
playing off the fascination western societies have with African art and the
avant-garde masks, Hazoumé is silently mocking them.
As well
as using the imagery of the masks to create this underlying feedback loop
Hazoumé uses his choice of media to add another layer of meaning to this
series. Although the colour tones and composition
varies from work to work, the series is united in its use of media, which is
the keystone of Hazoumé’s art practice. There has been a shift in what Western
societies are stealing from Africa. After the industrial revolution spanning
from the 18th to the 19th century there was a shift in
what Western countries needed to run their societies. We moved from needing
cheap labor to needing cheap oil. And as rich as Africa was in slaves, Europeans
saw that same wealth in their abundance of oil.
La
Bouche Du Roi alluded to this shift, as it too,
used jerry cans as its main medium. However, that work’s main concept was the
trade of slaves, as established by the context it was exhibited in and the
imagery of the slave ship. Hazoumé’s mask series focuses on the people that
traded this petrol by creating the masks in their image.
His work Liberté, that was purchase by GoMA, also shows the African peoples
struggle for freedom from their government and the exploitation by European
societies. By referencing the Statue of Liberty, which was a gift from the
French to America that symbolized freedom from political uncertainty. Hazoumé
makes his reference to European history very clear. Petrol smuggling is very
dangerous but many Benin citizens have resorted to it as a means of supporting
their families. In Liberté Hazoumé
shows these people and their way of life, their struggle for freedom and their
frustration with their government. Hazoumé continues their story in many of his
photographs as well as in other sculptural works like Roulette Béninoise.
Roulette
Béninoise and Made in Porto-Novo
[Fig. 10.]
Romuald Hazoumé
Roulette béninoise (2005)
Installation
Found materials and photograph
Roulette
Béninoise is a sculptural work depicting the means
of transport the Benin people use to smuggle petrol across the border. Roulette Benionoise translates to
Benin Roulette, referring to the gambling game involving a revolver where the
stakes are win it all or die. The term roulette has been engrained into pop
culture by its adaptation as a modern gambling game involving a spinning table
and a ball. Much like Liberté,
Hazoumé references pop culture to highlight his works’ connection to European
history and society. By naming his work this, Hazoumé is referring to the
stakes that the petrol smugglers expose themselves to.
The work
is constructed from found objects. A motorized bicycle loaded with jerry cans
is situated in front of a photograph of Benin. The Bike is typical of that used
by the petrol smugglers. It’s very unstable and is made more so when carrying
such large loads. Hazoumé spoke about the unstable nature and risk of riding
these bikes, in an interview with GoMA. This aspect of balance in the
composition could also be symbolic of the state of the African government. They
are struggling with how to balance their wealth and standing in a global sense.
Getting this balance right would benefit Africa significantly, but getting it
wrong, which it would appear is doing now, is killing the continent.
The
composition of the photograph shows a small dirt road made from bicycle tracks.
The tracks are leading to a lush forest with a large tree situated in the
center of the photograph. This could be symbolic of the journey the petrol
smugglers make in their attempt to gain a better life, but to get there they
have to travel across an uncertain path. The name is part of this symbolism. By
Roulette, Hazoumé is referring to the fact that the petrol smugglers work with
the ultimate stakes, where they could gain a lot of money or lose their life.
Hazoumé
often mixes elements of sculpture, video, audio and photography in his works,
as he did with La Bouche Du Roi.
Another one of his works that used audio, as a key factor was his sculptural
work Made in Porto-Novo.
[Fig. 11]
Romuald
Hazoumé
Made in Porto-Novo 2009
Found
Objects Installation (with audio).
Constructed
from several black jerry cans the work forms four musical instruments. The
inside of the sculpture has been rigged with speakers to play a track, composed
by Hazoumé, that is a mix of sounds he recorded, while following the petrol
smugglers around Benin. The track consists of sounds such as: the gulping of
petrol being poured into a jerry can; the sound of a motorbike starting up; and
eggs frying as the young smugglers made their breakfast.
The goal
of Made in Porto-Novo is very similar
to that of Hazoumé’s photographic works, where sets out to document the lives
of the petrol smugglers. Roulette
Beninoise and Hazoumé’s photographs open a door to the Western world, so
that they may see the implications that their way of life and their societies
dependence on cheap oil has on other cultures around the world. Often we are
ignorant to how we impact the lives of other people and Hazoumé is able to give
these people a voice.
The
themes that run through Hazoumé’s body of work add different readings to each
individual piece. In La Bouche Du Roi
black jerry cans were used to symbolize African people. In his mask series the
spouts of the cans were made to look like mouths. In Made in Porto-Novo, the spouts of the jerry cans are the means of
letting the sound inside escape. Hazoumé, through his works, is giving the
African people a voice to be heard around the world.
In
Hazoumé’s latest works he is able to show more of the story of these petrol
smugglers. By illustrating the impact that Westerners dependence on oil has had
on his home country, he is able to show a different tension that is present
between the two societies. As westerners blindly exploit Africa for its oil, we
force a life of poverty and insecurity upon the African people.
Conclusion
Romuald
Hazoumé’s work has demonstrated tension between African and European cultures
on numerous levels. In La Bouche Du Roi
he addressed the trade of Slaves from Africa to The Caribbean and America. He
also alluded to the shift in what was traded in using jerry cans as his medium.
Hazoumé explores
this shift in trade further with his masks series. He visually documents the
people that trade oil and highlights the snap judgments Europeans make of
others and Africa as a continent. In this series Hazoumé also addresses Western
societies views of African art and emphasizes the importance of the mask as an
African cultural artefact. He also references the avant-garde symbolism of
African masks.
In his
latest photographic and mixed media works like Roulette Beninoise and Made
in Porto-Novo Hazoumé presents western galleries with a documentation of European
exploitation of the African culture to run their societies.
From the
progression of his early mask works and La
Bouche Du Roi to his new works, Hazoumé also shows a progression in his
story telling. His new works imply that there is now knowledge of the
exploitation of Africa in western societies and the African people have been
given a chance to let their voice be heard. By looking at Hazoumé’s body of work
from start to finish in this essay and exploring it in relation to the theme of
tension between African and European cultures we are able to see how his work,
and contemporary African art is challenging audiences and will continue to do
so, to allow the voices of the African people to be heard.
From the
progression in Hazoumé’s work he creates a commentary on the evolution of
European society’s relationship with Africa. From the 16th century
slave trade to the 21st century exploitation of oil, Romuald Hazoumé
shows us that this relationship has always been one of exploitation filled with
tension.
Word
Count: 3999 words
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February 17, 2011. http://www.news.com.au/african-artist-romuald-hazoume-at-centre-of-upcoming-goma-exhibition/story-e6freqkf-1225935685628
[Fig. 2.] Wikipedia.
“File:Slaveshipposter.jpg” Accessed February 17, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Slaveshipposter.jpg