What: John Madu & Ousmane Niang - Figures of Power

Who: John Madu and Ousmane Niang

Where: AFIKARIS 38 rue Quincampoix, 75004 Paris, France

When: 10 July - 14 August 2021

‍

Regardless of time or geography, uprisings around the world have always been a testimony to a certain contestation of power, a break from the established order, a need for change, in harmony with the evolution of mentalities and society itself. In parallel, art carries the voice of these movements in their multiplicity.

Through the eyes of Nigerian artist John Madu and Senegalese painter Ousmane Niang, the exhibition Figures of Power brings together and confronts two very different pictorial languages, to ultimately suggest several readings of power. Both artists use their art as a weapon. They both appropriate history and take a stand. 

While Ousmane Niang examines the relationship between the dominant and the dominated, he does not remain a spectator - suggesting solutions to the rampant societal issues. Similarly, John Madu overturns traditional clichés of domination and launches a debate on identity, in a context of globalisation. He moves away from stereotypes of gender, class, and origin, to better deconstruct them.

In this way, each colours their work with their own definition of call for action and power.

Contact: Website

‍