Edwige Akplogan
Edwige Akplogan (also: Aplogan), born in 1955, is a Beninese artist known for her work in painting, sculpture, and large-scale installation, focusing on themes of globalization[1], citizenship, and identity. She has stated that her job is to "mix materials... canvas, paper, [and] netting". In addition to her artistic works, she has published articles and poetry, often discussing her works and their meanings in a broader context. Outside of art, Akplogan has obtained a post-graduate pre-PhD diploma in Public Law from the Université Pantheon Sorbonne (Paris 1) and practiced law at the Cotonou Bar in Benin for fifteen years before retiring in 1994 to create art full-time. As of July 2019, Akplogan lives in Paris, France and continues to make art.
Akplogan began her artistic career in the late 1980s by experimenting with painting, being featured in her first exhibition in 1990 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. In 2000 she began to experiment with sculpture, most often utilizing fabric, plexiglass, and wire. This experimentation is what inspired her to shift from painting towards installation and sculpture.[2] Her most well-documented works, "Les Drapes Des Independances" (2017) and "Une mondialisation" (2009-2012) are both large installation pieces featuring the draping of fabric, primarily flags. Akplogan's use of drapery has been compared to works by American installation artists Christo and Jeanne Claude, who also use fabric and drapery in their pieces[3]
A major event in Akplogan's artistic career is her participation in the 2012 Biennale Benin, where her installation piece entitled "Une mondialisation" was displayed.[4] The Biennale took place in four cities across Benin and featured works by thirty-six artists. Titled "Inventing the World: The Artist as Citizen", the 2012 Biennale Benin aimed to "[take] public initiatives that have occurred in Benin in recent years such as Meschac Gaba’s Musée de l’Art et de la Vie Active (MAVA) and Zinkpè’s Boulev’art as a starting point to interrogate the notion of the artist as citizen both as an aesthetic idea and an ethical project" and "interrogate the notion of the artist as citizen in its active, social, and aesthetic dimensions".[4] "Une mondialisation" touches on Africa's complex relationship with globalization, multinationality and diaspora, and general African culture, primarily focusing on Benin and Akplogan's personal experiences with these themes[2]
Works and Exhibitions
- Exhibition (1990) Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire[2]
- "Benin 2059" Exhibition (Fondation Zinsou, 2008-2009) Cotonou, Benin
- "Une mondialisation" Installation (Biennale Benin 2012, 2009-2012)[5]
- Exhibition part of the International Festival of Art and Spectacles at the Cotonou French Cultural Center (October 2009) in collaboration with French artist Cécile Borne
- "Les Drapes Des Independances" (English: The Drapes of Independence) Posted December 2017[6] via LinkedIn
- "TRAVERSEES" Posted June 2018[7] via LinkedIn
- Exhibition at L'IESA Paris (January 2019) in collaboration with Beya Gille Gacha[8]
References
- ↑ "Interview d'Edwige Akplogan, artiste plasticienne". La Nouvelle Tribune (in français). 2010-02-12. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Edwige Aplogan- Espace Canopy". www.espacecanopy.fr. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
- ↑ Greani, Nora (November 17, 2020). "Monuments Publics Au XXIᵉ Siècle: Renaissance Africaine Et Nouveaux Patrimoines". Cahiers D'Études Africaines. no. 227 (3) (2017): 495–514 – via JSTOR.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Biennale Bénin 2012". universes.art. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
- ↑ "Edwige Aplogan. Photos". universes.art. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
- ↑ "Les drapés des indépendances". fr.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
- ↑ ""TRAVERSEES"". fr.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
- ↑ "Edwige Aplogan et Beya Gille Gacha à l'IESA Paris". Little Africa. 2019-01-17. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
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