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Bodil Ouédraogo (1995) is fascinated by the gestures and poses of traditional West-African sculptures. Hands resting on a belly, arms supporting breasts, arms crossed behind a back. But what do these gestures and poses actually mean? Ouédraogo wonders how she can relate to these sculptures in the now, and whether it is possible to embody them, as it were. By taking them out of their original context, she explores the human intimacy of these sculptures, and how she can use them to forge a direct connection with those who preceded us.
Ouédraogo works with textiles, music, film, performance, and sculpture. She is drawn to the idea of bringing an installation to life, thereby making it part of a new, shared experience. For Framed Intimacy – Noun (2025), a continuation of her installation Framed Intimacy (2023), she used traditional West-African sculptures from the collection of her father, Mamadou Ouédraogo. Using 3D-scans she creates moulds of these sculptures, then enlarges certain parts to human scale, executes these in a variety of materials, and finally displays the fragments together. By presenting these elements in a thought-provoking and disorienting way, she offers us an alternative perspective on generally accepted hierarchies. At the same time she explores how these sculptures might enter into a new relationship with each other, one that transcends the sculptures themselves. Ouédraogo: ‘The installation is also a reflection of a search for ways of posing, carrying, and positioning the Self. It stems from a desire to express a connection between different generations through material heirlooms.’
Text: Esther Darley
Translated from Dutch by Marie Louise Schoondergang (The Art of Translation)