Clay Apenouovon

This work has been kindly donated by the artist

Born in Lomé, Togo, Clay Apenouvon is a multidisciplinary artist currently based in Paris, where many of the artist’s influences are derived from. As both an artist and activist, Apenouvon is deeply concerned about plastic and introduced the concept of "Plastic Attack" in 2010, utilizing installation art to raise awareness of plastic's global environmental threat. Apenouvon enjoys exploring the versatility of materials, particularly cardboard. Associated with the concept of packaging, cardboard is a central theme of Apenouvon’s artistic practice. He sees plain packaging and cardboard containers as having equal value to their contents. In 2015, he presented Lampedusa's First Film Noir, an imaginary silent black film, exploring themes of oil extraction and survival blankets as metaphors of distress and survival. His work seeks to create a union of previously divided geographic territories and to appreciate anew what has been devalued for some time. His art is a testament to the power of this union, culminating in the triumph of Black emancipation and the revaluation of a continental identity.