Barthélémy Toguo's 'Le Pilier des Migrants' Installed Under Louvre Pyramid

A new large-scale installation by Cameroonian artist Barthélémy Toguo has been placed under the iconic glass pyramid of the Louvre Museum in Paris, marking the first major work in that space since 2018. Titled 'Le Pilier des Migrants' (The Pillar of Migrants), the vertical sculpture consists of numerous sacks covered in colorful African fabrics, evoking the bundles carried by migrants. The work is part of the exhibition 'Les Choses, une histoire de nature morte' curated by art historian Laurence Bertrand Dorléac, and will remain on view until January 23, 2023. Toguo, born in M'Balmayo in 1967, was named 'Artist for Peace' by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay in 2021. He works between Paris and his cultural center Bandjoun Station in Cameroon. The installation serves as a monument to migrants past and present, with stacked sacks symbolizing masses of people at borders, each carrying their own life, dreams, and projects.