Made up of hundreds of discarded toys, household items, broken cables and bits of plastic, Cameroonian artist Malam’s giant head-shaped sculptures are deceptively playful. Invited to the Also Known as Africa contemporary art and design fair (AKAA) in Paris, the artist says his installations are in fact a harsh critique of society’s obsessive consumerism and disregard for the environment.
Upon arriving at the fair, visitors are immediately confronted with a huge mass of mixed materials in the shape of a head. The eye sockets are computer screens filming people passing by. The face has a plastic toilet seat for the nose and a car bumper for a mouth.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure? Yes and no, explains Cameroonian artist Malam, one of nearly 100 artists represented at the 9th edition of AKAA – ‘Also Known as Africa’ art and design fair, which wrapped up after three days on Sunday.
“I call this piece ‘Emergency Therapy’ because the way I see it, there’s an urgent need to reconsider our habits, our daily routines with regards to consumerism,” Malam told RFI.
Two companion sculptures, slightly smaller, were placed at different locations within the fair. “We’re watching you,” the large faces seemed to be saying.
Originally from Douala, Malam has been working for many years in a workshop in Saint-Denis, just north of Paris and is represented by the 193 Gallery. His works have been displayed at numerous art fairs over the years, including the Dakar Biennale, Johannesburg art fair and Art Basel in Switzerland.
His creative approach gives the notion of “collection” a whole new meaning. His works are made of junk that was left out for the garbage trucks. Sadly, the supply is endless, he says.
Everyday objects fill the space in between the long, coloured tubes that twist around the whole piece, providing the ears, chin and back of the head. Barbie dolls and trucks peek out from the chaos. Toys, Malam says, make up a sizeable quantity of discarded objects.
“I don’t choose the objects, they choose me,” he says, adding that the works are by nature “evolutive” and that “any object can find its place in this piece. There’s no rule”.
He says incorporating screens into the work is a way of provoking a form of self-awareness, which is sorely needed in today’s world.
Instead of filming selfies, it might be time to really look at our relationship to ourselves and our earth, he suggests.
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“We’re being scrutinised for our behaviour, what we buy and how we see ourselves. This installation addresses the fact that we need to get back to our core values.”
For Malam, artists have the freedom to create works that express universal messages, regardless of their country of origin. “Inspiration is global, there are no borders,” he says.
His works seem to be saying that in the same way, there are no borders when it comes to climate change. The environmental impact of pollution and overproduction affects us all.
In terms of representing the African continent and its multiple diasporas, AKAA has certainly come a long way from its humble beginnings, according to its founder and director Victoria Mann.
As an arts student she was shocked to hear people say “contemporary African art doesn’t really exist” and so she set out to rectify that.
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With 41 exhibitors of art sourced from 29 countries, the 2024 event has confirmed its ambition to be “a platform of discovery”.
After a focus on African-American artists in 2023, visitors were this year treated to a special focus was on the Caribbean region and French overseas territories such as Guadeloupe and Reunion Island.
The event is also gearing up to expand, with a special AKAA for Los Angeles on the horizon.
