THIERRY OUSSOU (Benin, 1988) usually refers to his practice as social archeology, exploring the relationship between contemporary art and ethnographic objects. Through paintings and drawing installations, he addresses issues on authenticity and visibility related to heritage and archeology. In 2011 he founded the Yè art studio and offers art and visual culture workshops at institutions in Benin. He took part in residency programs at the Arthouse Foundation, Lagos (2017), and Rijksakademie, Amsterdam (2015–2016). In 2016 he was awarded the first Jacqueline van Tongeren grant at Rijksakademie V. B. K. and was nominated for the Royal Award of Modern Painting. Recent exhibitions include Tiwani Contemporary (2018); 10th Berlin Biennial (2018); Cobra Museum of Modern Art, Amstelveen (2018); and Garage Rotterdam (2018), among others.
The work WHAT IS LEFT OF THE SUGAR CUBES? (2019) commissioned by the 21st Biennial was developed during Thierry Oussou’s stay in Brazil. Over the months of research the artist gathered statements from various professionals linked to the Cemetery of Newly-Arrived Slaves Memorial Museumandthe National Museum, in Rio de Janeiro. Proposing a reflection on the memory and emotions surrounding preservation and diffusion, the video draws on sugar as a metaphor of history, considering the character of the forgotten heritage preserved by both institutions and seeking to understand erasures and continuities of the past in the present.
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