Found Object Masks by Romuald Hazoumè Counter Sorrow with Sympathy

Romuald Hazoumè, a contemporary artist, explores the intersection of spirituality, colonial violence, and climate change through his series of masks titled masques bidons. Tethered to the spiritual realm, blue is a prominent color in Yoruba culture, symbolizing serenity, peace, and healing. In his exhibition My Blue Period at October Gallery, Hazoumè uses plastic jugs and found objects, such as feathers, netting, and hardened paintbrushes, to create expressive sculptures that serve as abstracted figures.

The title of the exhibition alludes to Pablo Picasso's blue period, a time of depression following the loss of a friend, which later gave way to Picasso's African period, in which he incorporated masking traditions from across the continent.

Hazoumè's intention is to create works where no single element overshadows another. He emphasizes the importance of the container (bidon) while maintaining the illusion of the masked face. Unlike Picasso, Hazoumè's focus is not on personal experience but rather on ecological destruction, genocide, and armed conflicts that threaten life on Earth.

The newer additions to the series center on women and specific tragedies, such as the mother killed in Gaza while seeking bread for her children and the Russian widow who poisoned herself after losing both sons.

Hazoumè writes, "This work I do affects me deeply. I'm not making masks for other people, I'm making them for myself, trying to translate what I feel into something concrete, which stands apart from me, but reflects my innermost feelings." While gathering ordinary names from tragic news stories, Hazoumè explores the role of women as "second-rate beings" who are continually abused and oppressed by men.

He envisions a "blue line" that balances the red lines associated with war and bloodshed, aiming to reduce global suffering and restore hope for positive progress. My Blue Period will be on display at October Gallery in London until November 21.