Kokou Ferdinand Makouvia (1989) works with a wide variety of materials and always in an extremely tactile way. He attaches great value to the material’s spiritual meaning. “All matter has a life of its own. How can I become conscious of those whispers, how can I engage in a conversation with the material?” the artist wonders. Makouvia’s work can be interpreted as spiritual discussions with the material in order to properly reveal things to the world.
The work Makouvia is showing at Prospects is a first for the artist as he never worked with felt and a sewing machine before. As the point of departure for his wall sculpture he took various everyday household items. Socks and spoons shaped in felt have been reduced to a single, fluid motion: “It’s like taking water back to the sea.” But the sculpture is also leading a life of its own and will always be a little bit different in each exhibition location. Makouvia: “It’s alive, it isn’t static.”
Lying on the ground, surrounding the upright sculpture are small packages wrapped in felt that contain objects the artist earlier exchanged with other people. Visitors are allowed to take one of these packages in exchange for a small object gifted to the artist. This could be anything, from a poem to a ring, as long as it is small and personal. Incidentally, people are not supposed to open these packages as their energy of sharing and collaborating is better conveyed while wrapped.
Text: Milo Vermeire
Translation from Dutch to English: Marie Louise Schoondergang