Ephemeral Withstood

The work Ephemeral Withstood displayed a group of ice sculptures that originate from sections of two historical figures that both relate to colonial struggles: Statue of King Béhanzin (c. 1845–1906), last independent ruler of the Kingdom of Dahomey. He was given by his people the figure of half-man, half-shark for his strong resistance against French colonisers; and Laocoön and His Sons, as they were put to death by sea serpents for trying to stop Trojan invasions. The prototypical icon of human agony present with Laocoön's broken body and limbs resonates with the deep colonial injuries behind the history of the Kingdom of Dahomey. Where around 7000 artefacts were removed by the French during 1892, and only 26 of them (including the statue of King Béhanzin) were recently given back. The past tragedy has not yet been fixed, while new debates questioning French’s motivation behind restituting those artefacts have occurred. As I cannot reinstate historical absence, therefore, I use materials, fragments of representations of artefacts and melting of ice to challenge the construction of history. Create ‘ghosts’ of those silenced artefacts back into public view, however briefly, hoping to draw attention to those forgotten histories under contemporary context, and strengthen public awareness about cultural oppression and colonial controversy.