Kokou Ferdinand Makouvia's 'Tectonique des ombres' at the 18th Lyon Biennale

Togolese artist Kokou Ferdinand Makouvia presents 'Tectonique des ombres', a monumental installation, at the Musée des Tissus as part of the 18th Biennale d'art contemporain de Lyon. The Lyon Biennale runs until 13 December 2026. Makouvia, who drew attention at the Foire internationale d'art contemporain (Fiac) in 2021, works with wood, rubber, paper and copper, assembling these materials until they are transformed, each retaining scars, memories and at times an unnamed mystical force. His Togolese childhood and Mina culture inform his approach, without fixing that memory into folkloric imagery. The work addresses heritage as much as displacement in a constantly shifting world. His pieces, described as taut, hover between object, sculpture and relic, and visitors circulate around them, changing angles and encountering the works under continually renewed lighting. The installation's forms appear to seek their equilibrium. His choice of material resonates with the Biennale's title, 'Passer d'un rêve à l'autre', devoted to circulations, exchanges and the economy in the broad sense. With Makouvia, the passage occurs first in matter, between what persists and what is transformed. Rather than narrating memory, the Togolese artist gives it flesh, and even a soul. The Biennale de Lyon 2026 is curated by Catherine Nichols, who invites visitors to 'passer d'un rêve à l'autre'.