Branly is a misfire for several reasons. The exhibition rooms are shrouded in darkness as if that is the way to symbolize Africa, turning it into a maze that confuses and irritates visitors. The collection on display mainly comes (or was stolen?) from French colonies, which means that the museum by definition gives a distorted image. And the tone of the accompanying wall texts is sometimes annoyingly educational.
There is no day that I will stand and pretend that I wove the mats or the bags, I mean, that would be a blatant lie but in terms of taking these pieces as additive spices to tell a new story that involves their work, yes, that makes me the artist.
I am fascinated with the surface of steel. It is a substance so strong and industrial in nature. I love interrogating it, pushing its boundaries and playing with the alchemical processes. I look to bring life and dynamism to the materials that have constructed my hometown. I also love painting on it, the beauty of the oil paint gliding on its smooth surface.
If anything, Conditions, small as it might seem, is a really dense exposition to a very complex issue that needs the visitor to take their time in perusing each work.
Remmy’s short coming however lies in his inability to zero down on a particular subject or themes that he could dance around to make a whole. He wobbles around multiple ideas that he fails to link into one.