Born 1962, Porto Novo, Benin
Lives and works in Porto Novo, Benin

Romuald Hazoumé, who is of Yoruba origin, grew up in a Catholic family, but remained in contact with the Vodun society of his forbears; this dual cultural heritage finds expression in both his masks and installations. In the mid-1980s, he began an extended series of works made from discarded plastic containers, and in particular from gasoline canisters. After slight modifications, these objects became masks which subtly reveal Hazoumé’s critical vision of political systems. He has said of his work: “I send back to the West that which belongs to them, that is to say, the refuse of consumer society that invades us every day.”

Hazoumé’s masks conform more to the recovery of their materials than to Yoruba traditions; however, there are also important links with this heritage. He has said about his masks that he sees them “exiting” or “departing.” “Exiting” the masks, explains the Mali scholar Youssouf Tata Cissé, means that they “recapitulate all the stages of creation.” For example, one of the most important masks in Bambara rituals is the “Whirlwind” mask. It stands for the primordial whirlwind that governed the emergence of life. Hazoumé’s Zanzibrrrrace (2003) suggests a parallel reading and illustrates how the artist draws on the vocabulary of the initiated to give character to his creations. What distinguishes Hazoumé’s assemblages is that they are also specifically tied to his vision of society and global problems. Unlike the traditional masks which tended to strip the wearer of his personality, Hazoumé’s expose the wearer’s true nature. Indeed, his masks can be understood as a modern reinterpretation of the phenomena of trances, revealing without reserve the madness of current events. Hazoumé has extended these themes in his most recent works, monumental installations which address the history of slavery and the present practices of the black market.

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2012
Jun 28 - Aug 11
Romuald Hazoumè : Cargoland, October Gallery, London

2011
Feb 2 - May 15
Romuald Hazoumè, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, Ireland

June 6 - Oct 17 2010
My Paradise - Made in Porto Novo
Gerisch-Stiftung, Neumünster, Germany

2009
Sept 12 - Oct 24 2009
Exit Ball, Aliceday, Brussels, Belgium

Oct 15 - Nov 2009
MADE IN PORTO-NOVO, October Gallery, London, UK

2007
Mar 22 – May 13 2007
La Bouche du Roi : an artwork by Romuald Hazoumé
The British Museum
London - England

2006
Sept 12 - Nov 12 2006
La Bouche du Roi
Musée du quai Branly
Paris - France

May 13 - Sept 3 2006
Article 14 débrouille-toi, toi-même, World Museum Liverpool, UK
2005
June 6 – Sept 17 2005
Romuald Hazoumé
Fondation Zinsou
Cotonou - Bénin

2005
4 mai – 27 mai
Romuald Hazoumé Installation Art
CAISA (City of Helsinki Cultural Office)
Helsinki – Finlande

2005
29 janvier – 8 mai
La Bouche du Roi (The Mouth of the King)
The Menil Collection
Houston - USA

2005
October Gallery Londres, Royaume-Uni

2002
Romuald Hazoumé
Centre Culturel Français de Turin
Turin, Italy

2000
La Bouche du Roy.
Cotonou, Benin: Centre Culturel Français.

1999
Romuald Hazoumé: Vor-Sicht.
New York: The Project

1998
Breeduit
Apeldoorn, Holland: Van Reekum Museum

1998
Bénin-Bénin, Gisteren-Tussen-Morgen.
Apeldoorn, Holland: Van Reekum Museum

1998
Romuald Hazoumé.
Sydney, Australia: The Art Gallery of New South Wales


1990-1991
Masques Bidons II
National Museum.
Accra, Ghana.
Cultural French Center - Lagos, Nigeria- Bamako, Mali
- Dakar, Sénégal
- Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
K.G. du KunstmuseumBonn, Germany.
Museum der Franziskaner de Werl.
Germany.

1990
Africain Forum
Heidelberg, Germany.

1989
Masques Bidons I Cultural French Center
Cotonou, Benin.
French-Nigerian Cultural Center Niamey, Niger.

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2012/2013
Nov 8 - Jan 13 2013
Biennale Bénin, Inventing the World : The Artist as Citizen

Oct 3 - Mar 31 2013
The Black Whale, MARCO, Museo de Arte Contemporánea de Vigo, Spain

Sept 28 - Jan 6 2013
Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, Beneath a Petroliferous Moon

2012
Aug 31 - Dec 9
The National Museum of African Art, Washington DC, African Cosmos: Stellar Arts

2010/2011
Sept 25 2010 - Jan 23 2011
The Land Between Us
Whitworth Art Gallery
Manchester, UK

Nov 17 2010 - May 15 2011
The Global Africa Project
MAD – Museum of Arts and Design,
New York

Dec 18 2010 – Apr 26 2011
21st Century: Art in the First Decade, Queensland Art Gallery
Brisbane, Australie

2010
Oct 8 - Oct 25 2010
African Stories
Marrakech Art Fair, Marrakech

2009
Against Exclusion
3rd biennale of Contemporary Art, The Garage Center for Contemporary Culture
Moscou, Russie

2008
16 Janv – 16 Fév 2008
PetrodollART
Galerie Motte et Rouard
Paris- France

2007/2008
06 Oct – 03 Fév 2008
Why Africa?
Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli
Turin, Italy

2007
23 Sept – 25 Nov. 2007
UN / FAIR TRADE
Die Kunst der Gerechtigkeit
Neue Galerie Graz am Landesmuseum Joanneum
Graz, Autriche

16 juin-23 septembre 2007
Documente 12
Kassel-Germany

12 juin – 30 sept 2007
Masques rituels et contemporains
Fondation Jean Paul Blachère
Apt - France

20 Fév - 17 Juin 2007
Uncomfortable Truths Exhibition
Victoria and Albert Museum
London - England

22 Fév – 28 Avril 2007
From Courage to Freedom
El Anatsui/Hazoumé/Owusu-Ankomah
October Gallery
London - England

Feb 20 - June 17 2007
The Shadow of Slave trading on Contemporary Art and Design, Victoria and Albert Museum, London,

2006
Oct 12 - Feb 18 2006/2007
100% Africa
Guggenheim Museum
Bilbao, Spain

Mar 31 – June 11 2006
De ida y vuelta. África. Madrid, Spain. La Casa Encendida

2006
«Snap Judgements»: New positions in Contemporary African Photography, International Center of Photography, New York USA. Miami Art Central, Florida, USA

2005/2006

Nov 18 2005 - Feb 26 2006
African Art Now: Masterpieces from the Jean Pigozzi Collection.
Washington DC, U.S.A. National Museum of African Art,
Smithsonian Institution, DC

2005
Arts of Africa
Grimaldi Forum
Monaco - France

2005
African Art Now : Masterpieces from the Jean Pigozzi Collection
Museum of Fine Art Houston
Houston - USA

2004 (travelling exhibition)
Africa Remix
Art contemporain d’un continent

* 24 July 2004 – 7 Nov 2004
Museum Kunst Palast
Düsseldorf - Germany
* 10 Feb 2005 – 17 April 2005
Hayward Gallery
London – England
* 15 May 2005 – 20 Aug 2005
Centre Georges Pompidou
Paris – France
* Feb – May 2006
Mori Art Museum
Tokyo

2003
ARMOUR: The fortification of man
Fort Asperen Biennal - Holland

2003
Magic Markers: Objects of Transformation

* Des Moines Art Center
Des Moines, Iowa - USA
* Musée Bellerive
Zurich - Switzerland
* Musée d’ac de
Lausanne – Switzerland

2003
Correspondances Afriques
Iwalewa-Haus
Afrikanzentrum der Universität Bayreuth
Bayreuth - Allemagne

2003
"Alles Abfall?" Recycling im Design
Musée Bellerive
Zurich - Suisse
Musée d’ac de Lausanne
Lausanne - Suisse

2002
Œil pour œil
Le Rectangle Centre d’Art Contemporain
Lyon - France

2002
African Market
Ivan Dougherty Gallery
University of NSW
Sydney – Australie

2002
40 ans : Fluxus und die Folgen
Wiesbaden – Germany

2001
TRADE
Fotomuseum Winterthur
Winterthur – Switzerland

2001
Lost & Found
New York - USA

2001
XXXVeme Prix International d’Art contemporain de Monte-Carlo
Monaco – France

2001
TRADE
Nederlands Fotos Institut
Roterdam – Holland

2000
Art Basel 2000
Galerie Art & Public
Bâle - Switzerland

2000
This earth is a flower, construction in Process VII
Bydgoszcz – Pologne

2000
D’sign
Galerie Dany Keller
Munich – Germany

2000
Dinge in der kunst des XX. Jahrhunderts.
Haus der Kunst
Munich – Germany

2000
Lyon Biennal.
Lyon, France.

2000
Sieben Hügel
Martin-Gropius-Bau
Berlin, Germany.

2000
Kwangju Biennal.
South-Korea.

1999
Liverpool Biennal.
Liverpool, Great-Britain.

1998
7. Triennale der Kleinplastik
Stuttgart, Germany.

1998
The brigge CiPVI
The Bridge
Melbourn, Australia.

1997
Lumière Noire
Tanlay Art Center
Tanlay Castle, France.

1997
Havana Biennal
Havana, Cuba.

1995/1996
An Inside story : African Art of our time
Setagaya Art Museum
Tokyo, Japan.
Tokoshima Modern Art MuseumTokoshima, Japon.
Himeji City Museum of Art
Himeji, Japon.
Koriyama City Museum of Art
Koriyama, Japon.
Marujame Inokuma-Genichiro
Museum of Contemporary Art Japan.
The Museum of Fine Arts
Gufu, Japon.

1995
orientATION - Istanbul Biennal
Istanbul, Turkey.

1995
Africus.
Johannesburg Biennal, South Africa.

1993
Second sight
Northern Center for Contemporary Art.
Sunderland, Great-Britain
Newlyn Orlon Gallery.
Comwall, Great-Britain
The Orchard Gallery.
Dervy, Irland.

1993
La grande Vérité, les Astres Africains
Nantes Fine Arts Museum, France.

1992
Out of Africa
Saatchi gallery
London, Great-Britain

1990
Night of Art
Helsinki, Finland.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

2007
Why Africa?
Exhibition catalogue. Published by Electa & Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli.

2006
100% Africa
Exhibition catalogue. Published by TF Editores & FMGB Guggenheim Bilbao Museum.

2005
Romuald Hazoumé
Exhibition catalogue. Fondation Zinsou.

2005
Romuald Hazoumé : La Bouche du Roi
Exhibition catalogue. The Menil Collection.

2005
Arts of Africa: The Contemporary Collection of Jean Pigozzi
Exhibition catalogue. Published by Skira Edition & Grimaldi Forum Monaco.

2005
African Art Now: Masterpieces from the Jean Pigozzi Collection
Exhibition catalogue. Published by Merrell.

2004
Africa Remix
Exhibition catalogue. Published by Hatje Cantz.

2003
View on Colour : The colour forecasting book – Issue N° 24 (June)
”Armour”. United Publishers S.A.

2003
Magic makers objet of transformation
Catalogue ; Des moines Art Center

2002
Zeitgenössische Kunst Aus Afrika 14.
Kunster aus Côte d’Ivoire und Benin
Romuald Hazoumé p.144-157 interview
Publication: Bohlau Wien, Editeur: Thomas Fillitz, 408 pages. Texte en Allemand.

2002
40 JAHRE ; Fluxus und die Folgen
Exhibition catalogue. Kunstsommer Wiesbaden 2003

2002
Trade
Waren, wege, und werte im welthandel heute catalogue Fotomuseum Winterthur

2002
œil pour œil
Exhibition catalogue. Le ,rectangle centre d’art contemporain de la ville de Lyon.

2002
Romuald Hazoumé
p.144-157 interview .Publication: Bohlau Wien, Editeur: Thomas Fillitz, 408 pages. Texte en Allemand.

2002
Zeitgenössische Kunst Aus Afrika
14. Kunster aus Côte d’Ivoire und Benin
Romuald Hazoumé p.144-157 interview
Publication: Bohlau Wien, Editeur: Thomas Fillitz, 408 pages. Texte en Allemand.

2001
Facing up to the paste
Page fine Art XXIII texte :Anglais de frits Bless

2001
Dinge in der kunst des XX jahrunderts
Exhibition catalogue. Haus de kunst Mûnchen.

2001
Partage d’Exotisme
Exhibition catalogue for 5ème Biennale de Lyon

2000
The Bridge :Construction in process VI
Exhibition catalogue edited by Richard Thomas

2000
Perspectives sur l’art contemporain Africain
Pages 107-115 texte de JoelleBusca

2000
Sieben hûgel VII
Trâumen page 054 –055 texte en Allemand de Sabine Vogel

2000
Man-space
Exhibition catalogue published for the Kwangju biennale.

1999
Romuald Hazoumé
Océanique, la revue de la coopération française au Bénin.

1999
Romuald hazoumé " Vor Sicht " by Peter Volkwein.
Exhibition catalogue, Städtische Galerien Ingolstadt. Bilingual text: German, French.

1998
7. Triennale der Kleinplastik
Zeitgenössische Skulptur. Exhibition Catalogue
Europa Afrika: Romuald Hazoumé by André Magnin. Text in German.

1998
Benin, Benin Tussen Gisteren Morgen . Romuald Hazoumé by Frits Bless.
Exhibition catalogue, Van Reekum Museum, Apeldoorn. Text in German.

1997
Sexta Bienal de La Habana el individuo y su memoria
Catalogue AFAA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

1996
Contemporary Art of Africa. Romuald Hazoumé by André Magnin, p.132-133.
Edited by André Magnin & Jacques Soulillou. Text in English.
Published by Harry N. Abraams.

1996
An Inside Story : African Art of Our Time.
Romuald hazoumé by Mieko Yoshihara.
Edited by Yukiya Kawaguchi, Setagaya Art Museum, Tokyo.
Bilingual texts: Japanese, English.

1995
Romuald Hazoumé by André Magnin.
Istanbul 4th Biennal. Text in English.