ANTANANARIVO.- The first private contemporary art foundation in Madagascar and the first cultural institution of this scale in the country, Fondation H will inaugurate its new, entirely free, 2,200 m2 venue on April 28, 2023, in the city center of the capital of Madagascar.

Fondation H was founded in Antananarivo in 2017 on the initiative of entrepreneur and patron Hassanein Hiridjee, who is convinced that art and culture have a strong social impact and enable a critical opening to the world.

For the last 6 years Fondation H has been running programs to support artists from Africa and its diasporas in their careers, facilitate public access to art and actively participated in the development and structuring of the art scene in the Indian Ocean.

In a historic building in downtown Antananarivo, built a century ago and completely renovated and expanded, Fondation H’s new space is a vibrant place of creation and dialogue, focusing mainly on artists from Africa and the diaspora.

This new space will allow Fondation H to reflect and develop its multiple actions and programs under one roof. With this building, Fondation H is entering a new phase in its history and ranks alongside the few institutions in Africa that, due to their aspirations and dimensions, can support and promote the continent’s artistic creations in their home countries and internationally.

Fondation H’s 2023 program is structured around several key focuses: on one hand, the inaugural exhibition of the new building in Antananarivo, accompanied by a year-long program of performances, discussions, residencies and mediation.

On the other, shorter and regular programs such as the residence and exhibition beyond the walls of the photographer François-Xavier Gbré in Antananarivo, and the residences and ‘carte blanche’ exhibitions of the artists Johanna Mirabel, Adji Dieye and Ange Dakouo in the parisian space of Fondation H, as well as the 7th edition of Prix Paritana.

BIENTÔT JE VOUS TISSE TOUS
Inaugural exhibition by Zoarinivo Razakaratrimo, known as Madame Zo

For its inaugural exhibition, Bientôt je vous tisse tous [Soon I will weave you all], Fondation H invited exhibition curators Bérénice Saliou (Director, Documents d’ Artistes, Reunion Island) and Prof. Dr. Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung (Founder, SAVVY Contemporary, Berlin, and Director, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin) to delve into the work of Zoarinivo Razakaratrimo, known as Madame Zo, icon of the malagasy art scene (1956-2020).

Madame Zo dedicated her life to the art of weaving, an ancestral tradition still alive in Madagascar, where lamba, a wild silk or cotton fabric, accompanies every moment of life, from birth to death.

The monographic exhibition Bientôt je vous tisse [Soon I will weave you all] brings together hundred of works, the results of two decades of production. They invest 900 m2 of Fondation H exhibition space in a lively, sculptural and organic dialogue, that highlights the main themes of Madame Zo’s work. From “oraliture” to “cinétiss”, threads carry messages and evoke memories. Bientôt je vous tisse tous [Soon I will weave you all], in the artist’s words, promises endless experimentation.

A programme of artist residencies and conferences with international personalities will accompany the exhibition.