09.16.2026-11.28.2026
Vernissage le mercredi 16 septembre
dès 16h
Roméo Mivekannin
solo show
GOWEN is honoured to present a solo exhibition by Beninese artist Roméo Mivekannin (b. 1986, Bouaké, Ivory Coast). In a practice which spans painting, ceramics, sculpture and installation, Mivekannin engages with themes of memory, identity, and the legacy of colonialism through powerful reinterpretations of Western art historical imagery.
The artist draws upon archival materials to expose the colonial gaze imposed over the historically underrepresented, erased (les non-dits), or unspoken narratives. At the heart of his work lies what he calls the “memory of history”, a literal and symbolic engagement with the past as a means of critical reckoning and reappropriation.
Bringing together recent works alongside new pieces created specifically for the occasion, the exhibition highlights Mivekannin's ongoing exploration of visibility, erasure, and historical memory. The presentation includes works from an ongoing series on black velvet, in which darkness becomes a generative space from which forgotten histories emerge. Throughout his practice, when Mivekannin inserts his own likeness into his paintings, it is never autobiographical but symbolic: a surrogate for the disappeared, the silenced, and the spectres buried within the folds of history, reminding us that for every figure brought into the light, countless others remain unseen.
Image
Roméo Mivekannin, Anna in Red Kimono, 2024, Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 115 cm. Courtesy of The Artist and GOWEN