1st-year Master in Contemporary Art students at IESA arts&culture designed and produced the exhibition of the artist Lamyne M under the direction of Hafida Jemni Di Folco, professor and director of the Africa department of IESA’s applied research centers.
Born in Cameroon, this contemporary artist lives and works in Seine-Saint-Denis. By repurposing everyday objects, Lamyne M creates a protean body of work steeped in the cultural heritage of the many countries he has encountered.
Installations, photographs and performances make up the work of this committed artist, whose work questions the major issues of our time: the migration crisis and current ecological concerns. He draws on his African cultural roots to elevate contemporary art.
The son of a textile merchant and a trained fashion designer, he made fabric his material of choice. Always in the service of the beauty and aesthetics of his works, this material seems to be the common thread of his work. With motley, flamboyant colors, his pieces truly light up exhibition spaces.
Lamyne makes a point of involving the local population in his creative process. He called on many associations to help him. The theme around which these various works revolve is adornment, which gives the exhibition its name.
The exhibition presents a completely unseen part of his work made up of photographs, sculpture-dresses and repurposed objects. Two series of photographs featuring fabric are on display; next come his large dresses, which stand out for their oversized scale; each dress evokes a singular story that visitors can discover in situ. A series of photographic self-portraits enriches the exhibition. This is the very first time this artist has revealed his photographs to the public.
The artist indeed sees in this material a metaphor between physical fabric and the social fabric. It is this tangible link that he strives to bring out in the exhibited work. The dresses are characterized by their original design, each highlighting the know-how, craftsmanship and traditions of the country it represents.
The Cité internationale des arts is the ideal setting to showcase the multicultural aspect of the artist’s work, his desire to elevate diversity, and his social commitment.