Art orienté objet's Shamanic Initiation at Three Galleries

Art orienté objet (AOo), the duo of Marion Laval-Jeantet and Benoît Mangin, presented recent works across three galleries in 2003: Galerie Actuellement in Paris (April 12–May 17), La BF15 in Lyon (May 22–July 19), and Galerie Synopsism in Lausanne, Switzerland (September 4–October 15). The works were created during their initiation into Bwiti, a shamanic religion. The exhibition, titled "Voyage en Iboga," includes a giant magic lantern installation (Bwiti Turning, 2 meters high), a polyptych of photographs from their initiations (La Palla de Libreville), and a film. The Bwiti ritual involves ingesting iboga bark, which induces a comatose state for visions. AOo's work critiques rationalist, anthropocentric society and advocates for "useful art" that reconnects humans with nature. The polyptych presents the esoteric rite through a Christian hierarchical model, creating a syncretic dialogue between opposing belief systems. The exhibition raises questions about whether intense experience can be detached from its context and whether art can adequately transmit such experience. A catalogue was published by CQFD in 2003.