JOËL ANDRIANOMEARISOA
LA VAGUE AFFECTION
UN ÉTÉ AU HAVRE 2024
LE HAVRE, FRANCE
Biography
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 Studio, whose new independent space for artists opens in September 2024 in Madagascar, supported by the Yavarhoussen Fund.
More information
As part of its support for contemporary art and on the occasion of the 2024 edition of Un Été au Havre, Rubis Mécénat is working with the artist Joël Andrianomearisoa to create LA VAGUE AFFECTION, a new artistic journey in the city of Le Havre.
Between two emblematic sites in the city, Joël Andrianomearisoa recites “the alphabet of our feelings”. SUR LA VAGUE INFINIE SE JOUE LE THEATRE DE NOS AFFECTIONS (On the infinite wave plays out the theatre of our affections), SUR LE CREPUSCULE DU TEMPS SE DESSINENT NOS PROMESSES ETERNELLES (On the twilight of time take shape our eternal promises): these two phrases are inscribed in luminous letters on the façades of the Bains des Docks and the University Library, forming the two poles of a poem that unfolds on the monumental scale of the city. Between these two phrases, the artist wanted to scatter fragments of text across several locations. The public will be able to discover the different ways in which these fragments of poetry emerge, particularly in the university library, where fragments of his work are hidden inside the books that adorn the shelves, waiting to be discovered.
This support is part of a long-term relationship between the artist and Rubis Mécénat. Since 2019, the endowment fund has been supporting Joël Andrianomearisoa, who was chosen to represent his country at the first Malagasy pavilion at the Venice Biennale, while in Madagascar, the artist is involved in the Ndao Hanavao social design laboratory created in 2018 by the endowment fund in Antananarivo. In particular, the artist has produced a series of original works in collaboration with the beneficiaries of Ndao Hanavao, which will be presented at the Brise du rouge soleil exhibition in Aigues-Mortes in 2021, as part of a carte blanche given to the artist by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, in association with Rubis Mécénat. In 2024, with this renewed support for the artist during Un Été Au Havre, Rubis Mécénat confirms its long-term commitment to the artist.