October Gallery presents My Blue Period, a solo exhibition by the internationally renowned artist Romuald Hazoumè, which coincides with 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair and Frieze London.
Romuald Hazoumè revisits his iconic masques bidons (Fr. bidon* – flask, container, bottle)–presenting a striking series of masks made from repurposed plastic containers that are adorned with an eclectic array of found materials. Wittily imagined as portraits of figures inhabiting particular places in the contemporary geo-political landscape, these new sculptures come freighted with Hazoumè’s biting commentaries on current issues of global concern. Displaying a wicked eye for detail, each mask dances before our eyes animated by his irreverent sense of humour. Revitalising the sculptural form for which he is best known, Hazoumè’s ironic avatars offer timely reflections on the precarious nature of the world we all inhabit. Once again, these powerful works, taken collectively, underline Hazoumè’s willing acceptance of the artist’s responsibility to confront patent abuses of authority while speaking truth to power.