PAST EXHIBITIONS

A Monographic Exhibition
by Benjamin Loyauté
23 November 2024 – 2 March 2025

Curated by
Rina Ralay-Ranaivo
Scientific Advisor
Bako Rasoarifetra

Hakanto Contemporary
Alhambra Gallery · Ankadimbahoaka
Antananarivo · Madagascar

FOUR SEASONS,
the first monographic exhibition by Benjamin Loyauté in Madagascar, was presented at Hakanto Contemporary.
Conceived as a deep immersion into the artist’s universe, the exhibition was informed by his most recent creative experiences in Madagascar, as well as by a recontextualisation of the outcomes of his years of collaboration with Ndao Hanavao, a project supported by Rubis Mécénat.

For this first presentation of his work in Madagascar, invoking the four seasons led Benjamin Loyauté to attune himself to the multiple realities of an agricultural territory and of communities whose daily lives, present and future have long been shaped by circumstances and meteorological phenomena.

Curated by Rina Ralay-Ranaivo, with scientific advice from Bako Rasoarifetra, FOUR SEASONS offered an aesthetic exploration of the effects of climate change on Madagascar, particularly on its agricultural communities, for whom the land occupies a central place — both as a means of subsistence and as a site of symbolic and cultural value.
Through video works, installations and sculptures, Benjamin Loyauté examined the role of art as a vector of balance in a world undergoing profound transformation.

The artist revisited the four seasons in symbiosis with Malagasy realities, creating a dialogue between tradition and modernity, between nature and technology.
Through his encounters, research and creative processes in Madagascar, Benjamin Loyauté discovered the traditional Malagasy bead — a cultural emblem imbued with strong symbolic significance, conceived and consecrated as a blessing for its bearer.

Aware of the challenges faced by Malagasy communities — notably the impacts of climate change and the human exploitation of natural resources — Benjamin Loyauté’s reflection deepened through his encounters and the insights gained from his research.

In collaboration with the workshops of Ndao Hanavao, Benjamin Loyauté created Voa ary, a bead made from recycled plastic and sacralised through a traditional ritual. The bead Voa ary stands as a tribute to these landscapes, to these encounters, and to the richness of a culture that has long cherished the intangible and the immaterial. It also embodies a wish for protection and vitality for these communities.

Benjamin Loyauté is known for his multidisciplinary practice, which questions perception and cultural heritage. With FOUR SEASONS, he highlighted ancestral Malagasy practices, particularly those surrounding the bead — a symbolic object that he has fully integrated into his artistic inquiry.

The exhibition was supported by Rubis Mécénat, with the collaboration of Ndao Hanavao.