Clay Apenouvon was born in 1970 in Togo, where as a child he had a conflicting relationship with the school institution. In 1992 he left Togo for Paris, where he met many artists, including Claude Viallat, a key figure of the Supports/Surfaces movement, and further developed his skillset. Apenouvon transforms raw materials produced by society, such as plastic, cardboard, and survival blankets, through his creative process. His work involves using cardboard as both a physical support and artistic medium, with it acting as a symbolic material to address the harmfulness of packaging– a major narrative in both his thinking and artistic approach. Apenouvon is interested in the New Realism movement, with his plastic creations being characterised by an appropriation of what is real.

For Apenouvon, his work embodies the notion of adding soul to concrete substances. He renders materials that are immediately available around him the origin of his creations, creating installation spectacles from various materials that would otherwise belong to the everyday.

His work has been exhibited in FIAC (2019), Galerie Marianne Ibrahim, 110 Galerie Véronique Rieffel, Beaux Arts Des Meilleurs solo show (2023), Biennale de Dakar (2024) and Prix de la Norval Foundation, Afrique du Sud.