London

Apenouvon, Clay
Born 1970 in Lomé, Togo. Lives and works in Lomé and Aubervilliers, France
Clay Apenouvon explores the possibilities of materials such as cardboard – as a material that is widely available and provides heavy-duty support, yet has a certain fragility. For Apenouvon, cardboard has a metonymic quality and is frequently used within his work to respond to ideas of use and material value. Further explored is packing, from the ubiquitous use of cardboard in transport and global distribution, to the phenomenon of vacuum-packing. Another material of interest for Apenouvon is plastic. Having been influenced by the work of Steve McPherson and Pascale Marthine Tayou, he produced Plastic Attack in 2010. Designed to embody the so-called ‘fatal beauty’ of its materiality, the work raises awareness of the dangers that plastic poses to the environment on a global scale. Apenouvon has previously performed and exhibited in Europe and the US. More recently, an installation work of his, Film Noir de Lampedusa, was included in the exhibition Visibles / Invisibles: l’Afrique urbaine et ses marges, Fondation Blachère, Apt (2015).
Clay Apenouvon, Installation Saint-Merri Church, Paris. Courtesy Mariane Ibrahim Gallery
. Photo: Philippe Soussan|Clay Apenouvon, 'Film noir dans un cadre doré', 2015, Extended plastic film and wood, Installation 195 x 120 cm, Frame 66 x 57 cm, Courtesy of Mariane Ibrahim Gallery| Clay Apenouvon, Installation Saint-Merri Church, Paris. Courtesy Mariane Ibrahim Gallery
. Photo: Philippe Soussan

Artists 2015