“The Battle of the Little Massive Horn”, a monumental work by Senegalese artist Ousmane Sow, who died in 2016, is presently at sea on the street between Senegal and France. This group of 35 statues represents the victory of the American Indians in opposition to the USA Military in 1876. After a primary exhibition on the Pont des Arts in Paris in 1999, these gigantic items are banished once more to France – this time for ten years – within the outdated stables of the Mont-Dauphin citadel. a spot on the UNESCO World Heritage Listing.
as reported from Dakar, Thea Ollivier
Three containers had been wanted to maneuver 35 warriors and horses made from grime, sand and sackcloth. Some items weigh greater than 200 kilos. Jean-Louis Gazanion, good friend of the sculptor Ousmane Sow and logistics marketing consultant, is accountable for coordinating the transport of those giants to France. Works like he has already moved a number of instances.
“Fragile”
“They’re slightly fragile,” he says, “however you have to deal with them with nice care, you have to not take them in your fingers, you have to take them underneath your armpits or at your shoulders. The remaining of the work might be restored if there are cracks, however the top shouldn’t be touched as a result of all of them have a particular expression, which Ousmane wished, the look, subsequently the top from the departure was wrapped with bubble.
After touring all over the world, the 35 colossal statues had returned to Senegal in 2014, saved away from the eyes of tourists, for lack of sufficient house to exhibit them, laments Ndeye Marina Sow, president of Maison Ousmane Sow and daughter of ‘artist’.
“Excellent place”
“It is higher as we speak to be in an incredible place like Mont Dauphin’s fort,” she explains, “fairly than deprive the general public of such work. Whether or not they are seen in Dakar or seen on one other continent, it doesn’t matter, the objective is for the general public to have entry to them and to find a way to take pleasure in them. The arrival on the Mont-Dauphin website is scheduled for Could 7 for the inauguration of the exhibition within the summer time of 2021.
► Additionally for listening: “Standing Warriors”, an emblematic work by the Senegalese sculptor Ousmane Sow
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