Benin Is Where It's At

This past summer art took over in several cities as Benin inaugurated it's own nation-wide biennial. Called Regard 1.0, it was sponsored and organised by the Benin Ministry of Culture and CultureFrance and took place in the nation's major cities (Cotonou, Porto Novo, etc.). The event was part of a wider series of independence celebrations in this former French colony and featured other African and international artists in addition to local talent. Far from being a quaint grouping of traditional artisans, this was an ambitious festival that showcased a diversity of media, including photography, cinema and conceptual installations.

On the existential side of things, Gérard Quenum exhibited his series of dolls, Les Poupées. Using old-fashioned dolls, Quenum creates sculptural collages that address some of the darker aspects of contemporary life in Benin. Their titles as much as their physicality force the viewer to consider the harshness of daily reality. The stark contrast between innocence and grime in the works is intended to underline the suffering of children in particular. The uncertainty of life and the dangers posed by violence and poverty are expressed throughout the series. The image below, Risque (Risk) , communicates very succintly Quenum's view of life in modern Africa: a tenuous and unpredictable reality that can be equally hopeful or threatening.




Being a huge fan of photography, I would also like to draw attention to two very talented photographers who participated in the biennial.


The first is Malick Sidibé, a Malian photographer who has been working since the 1950's. For honest, authentic portraits you can't top Sidibé's work. His work embodies his vision very well, presenting a joyous and youthful face for his country throughout the '60's and '70's. His photos are as much portraiture as documentary and they give a very close-up glimpse of life in Mali in the latter half of the 20th century.


Sidibé's photos are all incredible and I encourage you to take a look at his other works here.

The other photographer, Baudouin Mouanda, is a Congolese artist who has recently done a series of work on Congolese dandys, known as sapeurs. These are men who pride themselves on wearing the most expensive clothing brands and displaying their style on a daily basis, no matter the occasion or location; there is a brief explanation here.

As you can see above, the subjects of Mouanda's photographs make for some very colourful images. There are more examples of his work here.


Of what I was able to read from various online sources, these would have been some of the highlights of Regard 1.0. It'll be very exciting to see how this event develops in the future. Hosting a biennial is a great way to generate interest in a city, or in this case, a country and the goal is to put Benin on the map. So perhaps instead of Venice you can reserve your big art fair vacation for Cotonou next time.

I'll leave you with a short clip from a 2006 documentary, Dolce Vita Africana. It shows Malick Sidibé at work in his studio and he gives his opinion on what makes good photography; I wish more artists thought like him.

¡Muy Fashion!

Pilar Jarpa, pictured left, is one of the beautiful South American fashion icons to lend her presence to Asunción Fashion Week (AFW), Paraguay's most important international fashion event. She is Chile's gift to various runways and is seen here in a photo taken from the page for AFW on Facebook. Evidently, AFW means that Paraguay hosts some of the most talented designers and beautiful models from all over South America over a couple of days this spring.

And while on the topic of models, I would like to draw attention to the originality of the talent on the catwalks in Asunción over the past couple of weeks. From fashion shows I've been to and seen on television or in photos, I have grown accustomed to an intense, hungry look from sometimes overly serious models. At AFW, however, the photos show more or less relaxed demeanors that complement rather than display the clothes. There are some visibly uncomfortable models, however, but it looks like a lot of them are new and thus less experienced - but that is something that I think plays in AFW's favour. Either way, you can form your own opinion by checking out the various shows here.

I also have to say that overall there was nothing that stood out as particularly groundbreaking; again this is just from the few photos on Facebook and the AFW website. That said, there were definitely pieces from various collections that are stunning and if the designers decide to build on those, they will definitely be able to establish a name for themselves. One such brand is a youthful, hipster-inspired line from Argentina called GodisDj. I couldn't find any photos of their show, but the lookbook on their website has a pair of stone-washed jeans that could prove a cool addition to anyone's wardrobe, hipster or not; they're a slim-fitted, low-waisted version for men that can be very sexy on the right pair of legs. Check out the line here.

The little number above is from Florencia Soerensen's collection (image taken from the Facebook page for the event). It has a very strong, sophisticated cut that is softened by the floral pattern around the shoulders, which gives it an almost playful air.

This ensemble (above) is from another urban, hipsterish line called Uptitude, a Paraguayan creation (image from the AFW Facebook page). It was the shorts that caught my eye and I think they make a nice touch, with or without the leggings.

Aside from the style propositions, AFW also highlighted some creative accessory and craft designers. One group of artists that got some air time was Pyahu Artesanía, a Paraguayan craft studio working primarily in leather. Aside from doing some standard bag fare, they have some of the coolest, most original thermoses you'll ever see, like this amazing piece:

So although Asunción is far from joining the Paris-London-Milan list, it's still a great chance to discover some original designers and pieces at a very original event.

Imagemaking in Cairo

This documentary-type ad can be seen by non-Arabic speaking readers in an English version here. It weaves many seemingly innocuous circumstances together and gives each of them an increased social significance. The World Cup qualifiers, Coca-Cola, being a spectator of the match, and the superstitious aspect to the whole affair all became one grand expression of contemporary Egyptian culture. What makes the ad interesting is that it uses contemporary, globalised culture as a complement to distinctly Egyptian characteristics - softdrinks and international football become localised.

The docu-ad (a word I'm going to lobby Oxford to include in the next dictionary) was the product of Cairo-based boutique advertising agency Elephant, for which I could not find a website. The agency is apparently a tw0-man operation, half of which is Ali Ali - in my opinion, a brilliant guy, even if it's only because I agree with him. He and his partner, Maged Massar, are also responsible for a series of television ads, again for the Egyptian national football team, that won the first place Gold at the Dubai Lynx Awards this past March. The ads again involve Coca-Cola and promote that product as much they promote the personal brand of the players. Watch them, they're quite ironic and funny.

I like the way the stories don't conspicuously revolve around Coke, but again focus on the love for football and on giving recognition to the players. Furthermore, whether or not intentionally, the advertisements' narratives hint at the steady decline of radio as a popular medium in Egypt. There has been a proliferation of private television channels recently, according to the BBC website, for which there is a link above. That is part of the humour of the clips: they suggest that radio can communicate the score and be quite emotional, but the intensity of visuals and sense of personal connection that television provides enhances the experience even further.

If Elephant and its work are any indication, along with other talent represented at the Dubai International Advertising Festival, the region is brimming with gifted communication artists. Ali Ali has already won some international awards in Europe as well, so his career seems to be going well and I'm sure we'll see the same from his peers.

It's Definitely How You Play the Game

Although qualifying the damage and misery in Haiti following the January 12th earthquake is impossible, the ubiquitous images of the National Palace lying in ruins lends visual expression to the current state of Haiti and its people.

There are, however, other images of Haiti that must be remembered if the island's people are to regain any kind of self-confidence and maintain their famous resilience in the face of adversity. Those images come from football fields the world over and stretch back to 1974, when Haiti's national team scored an opening goal against the seemingly unstoppable Italian team. That moment of exhiliration came thanks to Emmanuel Manno Sanon, one of the most popular players in the history of Haitian football. Although Italy went on to win 3-1, there was a profound symbolic importance in making it all the way to finals and scoring the opening goal against a team who hadn't allowed opponents to score for the preceding 4 years. The sentiment was summed up by Herntz Phanord, who said "Although it seems naive, it's as though Manno beat Italy!"

This attitude is both understandable and healthy and has sustained Haitian football to this day. The Haitian National Team's most recent victory was making it into the final phase of the 2007 World Cup qualifier in South Korea. Having defeated Mexico, one of the best teams in the Americas, the Haitian National Team went into qualifiers full of hope and confidence, but with realistic expectations. "If we don't qualify but manage to do great things in each match, we can be proud of that and leave with our heads held high," said coach Jean-Yves Labaze in 2007. Labaze went on to describe the psychological importance of success in football for Haitians:

"Haiti has political and social problems and football can act as an ambassador, giving a different image of the country. [...] Seeing the Haitian flag alongside the Nigerian, French and Japanese flags today fills me with pride."

Common knowledge backs up Labaze's statement; success can in large part be a self-fulfilling prophecy and seeing others, especially one's countrymen, achieve greatness can act as much for the common good as any government initiative or international aid. And although the current state of Haitian football is uncertain and precarious like everything else in that blighted country, there are rays of hope and inspiration in the form of several high-profile international players. With Haitian talent leading clubs to victory from the United Kingdom to Chile, there is certainly no reason to assume that lack of means equals a lack of talent and ambition.

Once such international star is Jean-Jacques Pierre, a player from Leogane, which is directly on the epicentre of the earthquake that struck in January. Pierre plays defence for FC Nantes, a successful Ligue 2 team in France, as well as having been a member of the Haitian National Team. Fortunately, Pierre and his family survived the devastation of the earthquake, albeit with their home now in ruins.

Other Haitian football luminaries were not so fortunate. The revered Mr. Labaze, quoted earlier in this entry, perished at the football headquarters in Port-au-Prince during the earthquake. In fact, The Los Angeles Times reported that least 30 members of Haiti's football federation lost their lives in the disaster, thus striking at the heart of one of the nation's most cherished passions. But, sad though the situation is, it is important to remember the sense of hope and self-reliance demonstrated by the Haitian people throughout their history and expressed by Mr. Labaze in 2007. He pointed out that while other more successful teams had the means to study their opponents and plan their strategies accordingly, the Haitian team had only its skill, passion and intuition to go on.

Realising that raw human emotion and strength can carry anyone through a crisis is especially important for the Haitians right now. Their capital is in ruins and many of their most important national monuments, such as the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, have been destroyed. Therefore, it is important to now focus on the most important treasure the country possesses: its people.

To relive the thrill of victory and see what excitment football can really inspire, check out a part of the 1974 match between Haiti and Italy:

Design Bulletin

Who says good design can only be found in Berlin or New York? Tehran, a city teeming with young artistic talent, ended last year with its 10th International Poster Biennial, held at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art.

I find it amazing that anyone in Tehran could find the time to celebrate anything -let alone put on a poster biennial - in the midst of all the political turmoil. However, the Iranians are a resilient, fun-loving people and managed to pull some pretty amazing work together for the 10th edition of the biennial. There were artists from Japan, Afghanistan, Belarus, Croatia, Russia, Taiwan, Turkey and Brazil (Payvand). Although it is evident that the regime ruling Iran is anything but transparent and liberal, it is to their credit that such an event is happening at all, especially considering that people are constantly in the streets calling for their heads. The event was planned and organised jointly by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and the Institute for the Development of Visual Arts (Khatt Foundation), so presumably there wasn't anything too critical or politically sensitive on exhibit.

Information on the event was a little difficult to find on the Web, so I don't really have any specifics on subject matter. The works were to revolve around cultural and social themes, with a sub-category for man and the environment; some photos of the posters can be found here.

The Biennial also paid tribute to distinguished designers from 3 countries (including Great Britain, the current regime's mortal enemy, at least according to their rhetoric). One of those honoured was a cherished Iranian artist named Morteza Momayez. Momayez, whose work has been exhibited in Asia, Europe and North America, uses colours and interesting angles to explore the graphic potential of written of Persian. Especially interesting, at least for those not really familiar with the Arabic alphabet used in Persian, is the calligraphy-like treatment of the characters in Momayez's corporate logos.

This poster biennial is just one of many interesting artistic events that happen throughout the year in Iran. Contrary to what people may think, there is a thriving counter-culture that gives itself expression through design, street art and different types of music. If you want to treat your eyes to some hypnotic visuals, explore the website of The 5th Color, an association of some of the top Iranian graphic designers.

And if you want to make an afternoon out of it, get out your hookah, heat up some tea, and play this song: