Ré-imaginer le passé
24.3.24 – 28.7.24

The exhibition Ré-imaginer le passé is currently on view at the KINDL — Centre for Contemporary Art until 28 July 2024 and was curated by Mahret Ifeoma Kupka, Isabel Raabe, Ibou C. Diop and Malick Ndiaye. The work we want to present this week is Memory Of Time. Boulene Ko Niit! Neeke Bou Leneum Tal Takoul Bou Leene Ko Niit! (2023) by Mansour Ciss Kanakassy.

The works of Mansour Ciss Kanakassy, a Senegalese artist residing in Berlin since the early 1990s, address power dynamics stemming from colonialism as well as precolonial African knowledge and its symbolism. In 2001, the artist launched Laboratoire de Déberlinisation, a project scrutinizing the aftermath of the Africa Conference in Berlin in 1884/85, which led to the partitioning of the African continent among major European powers. Kanakassy’s installation in the exhibition features 54 oversized matchboxes, symbolizing each of the 54 African countries. The work draws inspiration from the saying, “Honour is akin to a match, useable only once in a lifetime.” The boxes are adorned with Adinkra symbols from Ghana and the Ivory Coast, as well as photographs of young men in traditional attire that the artist photographed during a research trip in the 1980s. Scented sachets of thiouraye, an incense reputed for its aphrodisiac properties, are nestled within the installation. The song playing in the background gives the artwork its title. Kanakassy’s interest lies in the viewer’s gaze and perception, as well as the questions and mental images evoked through engagement with his creations.

The artwork constist of wood, raffia fabric, nylon, potato sacks, diverse fibres.

Credits Text: KINDL — Centre for Contemporary Art.