Gérard Quenum : Artist Resume
Quenum belongs to the Fon ethnic and linguistic group in Benin. His early years were spent with his grandmother, who was regularly called upon to perform twins rituals.* These, as well as other Voodoo rites, and the objects associated with them, fascinated Quenum and deeply impacted his work.
His paintings have evolved significantly over time. For many years, his canvases were covered with brushstrokes and packed with energy and colors; they were impulsive and even “a little violent” (his own words). In 2012, he felt a need for change and radically altered his process. Now, it is only after a period of intense reflection that he starts painting. His backgrounds are emptied of color. The characters are downsized and reduced to just a few with no features or details. Each artwork creates a mood and an emotion. Through his singular focus, Quenum invites us to truly engage with his subjects, leaving it to us to imagine their story and surroundings.
Quenum creates his sculptures with dolls and other discarded materials (wood, beads, shells, thread, etc.). The dolls have a story: originally from Europe, they were bought on the second-hand market and played with by a succession of children. In the sand, the red dust, their skin tone darkened and their hair became matted. After years of use and sometimes abuse, they were abandoned or lost.
Quenum’s first encounter with a doll was pure coincidence; with its mud caked hair, pulled out eyes and broken limbs, it stirred something in him that remains to this day. The doll had been a witness to the struggles and suffering of the child who played with it – through the bond forged between them, the doll itself had been imparted with life.
In each doll since, Quenum sees an opportunity to write a happier story and redeem some of humanity’s afflictions with a touch of humor and approachability. For him, the process is a spiritual journey.
Quenum’s creative process differs depending on whether he is painting or making sculptures. The inspiration for the sculptures comes from the dolls themselves. They are the starting point. It is quite the contrary for his paintings, where inspiration is external - triggered by observing those around him or exploring current events and people’s reactions to them.
*The incidence of twins in West Africa is the highest in the world. Twins are revered and believed to have certain powers. Special ceremonies are performed when they are born and throughout their “lives”, whether they are alive or dead. Dead twins are represented by small sculptures which share the lives of the family as if the twin/s was/were among them.
Exhibitions
Solo Exhibitions
2023
Jumeaux - Ibedji, Gallerie Vallois, Paris
If not when, then why, Gallery Ilé, Amsterdam
2016
Rêves et réalités, Galerie 23, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2015
Gérard Quenum - Peintures récentes, Galerie Roy Sfeir, Paris, France
Gerard Quenum, Art 21 Gallery, Lagos, Nigeria
2013
Rupture, Fondation Zinsou, Cotonou, Benin
Regards déracinés, Galerie Christopher Berger, Lausanne, Suisse
2012
Dolls Never Die, October Gallery, London, UK, in 2012
2010
O dragão entre dois mundos, Museu Afro Brasil, São Paulo, Brazil
Humeur d’artiste, Résidence Virchaux, Cotonou, Bénin
2009
Clandestins, October Gallery, London, United Kingdom
2007
Maison des jeunes et de la culture, Fontainebleau, France
Ateliers d’Allones, Allones, France
2004
Exhibit in Chalon-sur-Saône and Chagny, France
2000
Gerard Quenum, Galerie Treger, Art Singulier, rue Mazarine, Paris, France
1999
Gerard Quenum, Centre culturel français, Cotonou, Benin
1998
Voix intérieures, Maquis Dunya, Cotonou, Benin
Collective Exhibitions
2023
Réflection, Galerie Walls, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
2018
In-discipline #1, Espace Expressions, Fondation CDG, Rabat, Morocco
In-discipline #1, Espace Montresso, Marrakech, Morocco
2017
Stop Ma Pa Ta, Villa Arson, Nice, France
Paris-Cotonou-Paris, Galerie Vallois, Paris, France
Regard contemporain sur l’art africain, Musée Mohammed VI, Rabat, Morocco
2016
Hommage au Bénin, Centre d’Art Contemporain du Château de Tanlay, France
2015
Temps modernes— Oeuvres monumentales, UNESCO, Paris, France
Temps modernes – la mémoire de l’esclavage et l’art contemporain, Galerie Vallois, Paris, France
Africa-Africans, Museu Afro-Brasil, São Paulo, Brazil
2014
Mickey au Bénin, Galerie Vallois, Paris, France
3 artists from Benin, Art 21 Gallery, Lagos, Nigeria
2013
Sculpteurs béninois contemporains, Galerie Vallois, Paris, France
2012
Bénin contemporain, Galerie Vallois, Paris, France
Moving into Space: Football and Art in West Africa, Inaugural exhibit of the National Football Museum, Manchester, United Kingdom
No limit – Une œuvre/un artiste, Galerie Imane Farès, Paris, France
2011
Aido Wedo , sculpture created for the Africa Museum, Berg en Dal, The Netherlands
Africa ancestral e contemporânea, Centro de Arte Oticica Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2010
Fesman (Festival mondial des Arts nègres), Dakar, Senegal
Regard – Bénin – 1.0, Cotonou, Benin
Gerard Quenum et Dominique Zinkpè, les Chailloux, St Boil, France
2009
O Benin está vivo ainda là, Museu da Cultura Afro-Brasileira, Salvador, Brazil
Artistes contemporains du Bénin, Joigny, France
Voo-Doo / Hoochie Coochie & the Creative Spirit, Riflemakers, London, United Kingdom
2008
Bénin 2059, Fondation Zinsou, Cotonou, Benin
Partilhar territorios, Biennal 2008, São Tomé e Principe
L’oeil de Caïn, Festival Sun’art, Lourmarin, France
Angaza Afrika, African Art Now, October Gallery, London, United Kingdom
Bénin, corps et âme, Médiathèque de Melun, France
Benin, de corpo e alma, Galeria Bernardo Marques, Lisbon, Portugal
2007
O Benin está vivo ainda là, Museu Afro-Brasil, São Paulo, Brazil
Voyages – Crossing the Lake of Fire, October Gallery, London, United Kingdom
Reflets Afrique, l’Espal, Le Mans, France
2004
Africas, Galerie Raquel Arnaud, São Paulo, Brazil
Sculpture (and workshop), Châlon-sur-Saône, France
2003
Mural with Zinkpè and Tchif in Limoges, France
2002
8 artists, Pontigny, France
Ewole, Rencontres et Résidences Internationales d’Arts Visuels,Togo
2001
Boulv’art, La Ciotat, France
Boulv’art, les artistes dans la rue, Cotonou, Benin
Tchif, Quenum, Zinkpè, 3 jeunes béninois, traveling exhibit in Benin, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Togo, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire
2000
Rendering visible, contemporary art from the Republic of Benin, October Gallery, London and Cambridge University, United Kingdom
Boulv’art, les artistes dans la rue, Cotonou, Benin
Bénin, Cergy-Pontoise, France
1999
Boulv’art, les artistes dans la rue, Cotonou, Benin
1996
Ewole, Rencontres et Résidences Internationales d’Arts Visuels, Togo
1995
Art béninois contemporain, Centre culturel français, Cotonou, Benin
1994
Festaco, Porto-Novo, Benin
Art Fairs
2017 Paris Art Fair, Grand Palais, Paris, France Art Fair
2015 1:54, New York, USA
2014 Contemporary art fairs Johannesburg and Dubaï
2000 L’harmattan 2000, 1st Beninese Fair of Contemporary Art, Cotonou, Benin
Residencies
2018 Jardin Rouge, Montresso Foundation, Marrackech, Morocco
2007 Ateliers d’Allones, Allones, France
Collections
The British Museum, London, United Kingdom
The Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts, Stanford University, Stanford, USA
Museo Afro-Brasil, São Paulo, Brazil
National Museum of Scotland
Galerie Vallois, Paris, France
Estúdio Buck, São Paolo, Brazil
Galeria Bernardo Marques, Lisbon, Portugal
Afrika Museum, Berg en Dal, The Netherlands
Museu Nacional da Cultura Afro-Brasileira, Salvador-de-Bahia, Brazil
Fondation Zinsou, Cotonou, Benin
October Gallery, London, United Kingdom