Henriette Marie Goussikindey
Born 1968, in Cameroon. Lives and works in Cotonou, Benin.
“ Art is transcendental. A mirror of the soul. It allows me to express what inhabits me… my questionings, my faith, my advocacy for women and children."
Marie Henriette Goussikindey, alias Soeur Henriette, works are deeply feminist, focusing on women’s and children’s rights. Women are omnipresent, exuding a sense of safety, stability, and love. They are laughing and dancing, selling their wares at the market. They nurse infants and comfort throngs of children, or tend to the sick or dying. They are fierce Amazons holding weapons…
Her paintings range from figurative to abstract. Her palette is usually bright, though sometimes monochromatic. Elements in some of her pieces are delineated with white or black paint, giving the effect of stained glass windows.
Soeur Henriette uses various media such as acrylic, oil, natural pigments, fabric, and recovered materials in her compositions. She paints on canvas, wood or walls. She developed « grarel », a technique that consists in engraving on natural pigments.
Soeur Henriette has exhibited in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Canada, and Japan. In 2015, she was awarded the trophy “Femme de l’Art” in Benin. Her artworks are present in many collections around the world.