The Ewolé (Togo), Boulv’Art, and Allad’Art (Benin) art events all exhibit work out in the city streets. In some cases, the artists are invited to work on site for the duration of the event. The impressions of the young Togolese artist, Comar.
« All of these events choose to exhibit art out in the streets, outside the galleries and museums. I think that this is also an issue, a painful issue, that the artists are consciously or unconsciously trying to address. They want to take their art out into the streets because there are no galleries or museums, no places to host these works. These events aim to make people aware that they need to think about creating museums and galleries.
There are so many interactions with the educated, illiterate or young public when you exhibit out in the street
Students who may well have a doctorate discover the words « fine art » for the first time. They are surprised at their own surprise and want to know what you’re doing, what your work means. A lot talk about theatre, because they think that we are setting up a stage, because that is already a well-identified activity. But they are completely lost when you speak about fine art or installations. Some people drop by several times over the three weeks of the event. They start to ask other kinds of questions, such as: « What are you trying to convey? » because they understand that there is a message. But it often stops there. The press may well report on the event, but they just take it at face value only, without analysing it because there are no specialised journalists. »
///Article N° : 5583
