I have forgotten the night

Venice Biennale

Venice, Italy

2019

Joël Andrianomearisoa

Rubis Mécénat has accompanied Madagascan artist Joël Andrianomearisoa for the first Madagascar Pavilion at the 58th Venice Biennale in 2019.

Accompanied by curators Rina Ralay Ranaivo and Emmanuel Daydé, the artist materialises a journey between Europe, India and Africa through torn papers of love and death, lending an infinite nostalgia to the modernity of the square by exuding the sentimentality of the material. Commissioned to build Madagascar’s first pavilion at the Venice Biennale, Joël Andrianomearisoa pays tribute not to a country but to the majesty of “outrenoir” and its sad wanderings, which fold, unfold, cut, sing and laugh when melancholy strikes. Almost thinking of his distant homeland, the artist breaks down the palace of Ilafy, the first royal residence on the twelfth sacred hill of Imerina, by separating the heavy black rosewood planks and assembling them into nine organic skies, which fall in an obscure cascade of sacks, ropes and ashes.

Curated by Rina Ralay Ranaivo and Emmanuel Daydé

Joël Andrianomearisoa

Born in 1977 in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Joël Andrianomearisoa lives and works between Paris, Antananarivo and Magnat-l'Étrange. Expressing himself through a variety of media and materials, his work seeks to give form to non-explicit, often abstract narratives. His multi-faceted approach - from sculpture to installations, craft to writing, textiles and new collaborations - is inspired by his native Madagascar, a country of diverse influences...

In 2019, Joël Andrianomearisoa represented Madagascar at the 58th Venice Biennale, and his works have been exhibited in leading international institutions, including MAXXI, Rome, Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin, Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington DC, Centre Pompidou and most recently Palais de Tokyo, Paris. His works are also part of major international collections, including those of the Smithsonian (Washington DC), the Studio Museum in Harlem (New York), or the Yavarhoussen Collection (Antananarivo) and the Sztuki Museum (Łódź). In 2016, he was awarded the Arco Madrid Audemars Piguet prize. He obtained a degree in architecture from the École spéciale d'architecture (Paris) in 2003. Since 2020, Joël Andrianomearisoa has also been the founder and artistic director of Hakanto Contemporary in Madagascar. He is represented by the Almine Rech gallery.