Confronting Contemporary Artistic Experience in Republic of Benin: The Case of “Eclosion Urbaine” and Magou AmÉdÉe (1990–2017)

Abstract

The establishment of colonial metropolises in Africa was an important step in strengthening the conceptualization of urban and rural space. Some precolonial cities became cosmopolitan by undergoing remarkable transformations, often due to the spatial reorganization of colonial administrations whose quarters were swiftly urbanized, while other parts of the same city may continue to present as more rural in character. These specific circumstances of urbanization held serious consequences for the lives of everyday people, but also for artistic production and reception. The two case studies considered here prove useful in understanding such a process. The first is the experience of Magou Amédée in his long quest to connect rural regions to contemporary art production. The second is devoted to Eclosion Urbaine’s original experience in Porto-Novo, which demonstrates how interactions between urban contemporary artists and rural social practices can still be successfully achieved within an exclusively urban context.