Thierry Oussou
Thierry Oussou
Equilibrium wind, 2022-2024
For the ‘Makers on materials’ exhibition in the TextielMuseum, Beninese artist Thierry Oussou created an installation about cotton. Benin is the largest cotton producer in Africa. As an art project, Oussou has had a small-scale cotton plantation since 2022, just like millions of other small farmers in the country who grow the crop to support their families and communities. In the exhibition, a large mound of unprocessed cotton and a film showing the ‘invisible work’ of farm labourers encouraged visitors to reflect on where the material comes from.
The work also contained a political message in the form of a flag titled Equilibrium wind. Measuring 164 x 218 cm, the flag was woven in the TextielLab from twisted GOTS-certified organic cotton, accented by a subtle gold lurex yarn. The gold yarn is a reference to ‘white gold’, the term Oussou uses to describe raw cotton. The design is based on the flag from Benin’s Marxist-Leninist period and symbolises unity. Today, Benin’s cotton trade is entirely in the hands of a state-controlled company, from which cotton farmers hardly benefit. Oussou’s project advocates a fairer distribution of the profits.
Photos by Patty van den Elshout and Geisje van der Linden commissioned by TextielMuseum
