Blood Brothers, Cultural Appropriation and Full Circle Africa with Yves Sena Alavo.
Yves Sena Alavo standing next to ‘Nose Mark’ by Saul Steinberg
Ep.5 | Yves Sena Alavo shares his affection and passion for art. He talks about how his time in Africa, Europe and Asia have informed his deep appreciation for cross-cultural identity and how these experiences have developed his art collection. Yves discusses the significance of emerging narratives through the cultivation of meaningful relationships with artists Lee Du Ploy, Serge Mouangue and how he has been able to observe the progression of Elon Catilina’s work from Bénin.
We continue the conversation by exploring the role of faces in Hom Nguyen’s work, a franco-vietnamese artist. Yves also explains why he began LIP (Leap Initiative Philanthropies) Foundation and how in 2017 the Full Circle Africa exhibition emerged from this. Full Circle Africa was the first African-Asian overview in Hong Kong that included two works by Serge Mouangue; ‘The Blood Brothers’, Japanese-lacquered pygmy sculptures and ‘Wafrica’, a series of kimonos in collaboration with Japanese kimono maker Kururi and Odasho.
The garments focus on the weaving of the role on intercultural relationships of today’s world; the fabrics were sourced from West Africa, were made in the Netherlands and the pieces were photographed with African models. Mouangue’s work attempts to make the observer question the rules of identity, opening them up to the idea of a global culture.
We close the dialogue with Yves’ personal interest in purchasing books of African art and how over many years this has accumulated into probably the most extensive book collection in Hong Kong.
Website: LIP Foundation | Full Circle Africa
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