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Renarrative
Renarrative
Which stories have been lost throughout history, and how can we reimagine them to shape the future? In Renarrative, six artists explore these questions. Through video, painting, and installations, they give space to underrepresented narratives inspired by personal memories, experiences, and cultural identity. The exhibition is based on Critical Fabulation, a method developed by Saidiya Hartman, a scholar in African American studies. This approach combines historical research, critical theory, and storytelling to fill in the gaps of the past. Hartman focuses on lives erased by archives and uncovers the underlying systems. Similarly, the artists bring personal and collective histories back to life. The labyrinthine design invites visitors to rediscover these stories and to view the past, present, and future through a new lens.
Renarrative - Group Show featuring Lou Cocody-Valentino, Randa Maroufi, Kevin Osepa, Imge Özbilge, Joseph Thabang Palframan, Badi Rezzak
Curator:
The Constant Now – Magali ElaliOrganisation:
Cultuurcentrum Brugge, Club Magie
Spatial Design: Olivier Goethals
Graphic Design: KEEN
More info on the artists
The mentors
Lou Cocody-Valentino (Martinique, 1994) is a visual artist deeply influenced by her upbringing as an islander. Her work explores personal geography through composite installations that blend layered textiles, examining our relationship with landscape. She plays with color, composition, and material translucence, utilizing gleaned resources like domestic textiles imbued with history. Her techniques include painting, vegetal dyeing, and screen-printing. Lou’s art fosters perpetual experimentation with sustainable practices. Inspired by natural phenomena and the interconnectedness of humans and nature, she echoes Creole writer Édouard Glissant’s ideas, treating landscapes as key characters that capture experiences, traces, and movements—both monolithic and fragile.
Randa Maroufi (1987, Morocco) is an artist and filmmaker whose work navigates the intersection of art, politics, and the complexities of representation. She studied at the Institut National des Beaux-Arts de Tétouan, the École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts d'Angers, and Le Fresnoy – Studio National des Arts Contemporains. Maroufi was also a member of the Académie de France in Madrid at the Casa de Velázquez. Her practice often involves collaboration with communities she observes from a distance, crafting scenes that straddle factual representation and an ethical connection to lived experience. This approach allows her to depict a "strange reality," blending observation and narrative, where the line between documentary and fiction becomes blurred.
Kevin Osepa (1994, Curaçao) is a visual artist working with film and photography, delving into themes of afro-spirituality, queerness, and post-colonial existence. Through personal and generational stories, he employs rituals and mysticism to foster collective healing and a deeper understanding of both personal and collective identity of his birthplace. Osepa’s work is housed in prestigious collections such as the ING Collection, the Rijkscollection, and the collection of museum Boijmans van Beuningen. Notably, he was nominated for the Volkskrant Beeldende Kunst Prijs and awarded the Golden Calf for Best Short Film at the Netherlands Film Festival in 2022.
Imge Özbilge (1987, Austria) is a multidisciplinary artist based in Belgium. Her research-driven practice creates surreal, figurative worlds inspired by conceptual inquiries. She studied Anatolian and Mesopotamian folktales and uses the methodologies of Comparative Mythology by Jung and Campbell. Her work blends surrealism with Middle Eastern myths and her subconscious. Özbilge’s short film Camouflage was selected for the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, and her project Mosaic earned an Honorary Mention at Ars Electronica in 2021. Her works are part of M HKA and Plantin-Moretus Museum collections.
Joseph Thabang Palframan (1997, Namibia) studied Fine Art at the Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten in the Netherlands and Art History at Leiden University. Now based in Belgium, his practice spans both social and studio-based projects, with a focus on painting. He is currently exploring Pointillism, examining its connections to scientific and technological advancements and its departure from realism. Palframan's work is influenced by artists such as Dumile Feni, Gerard Sekoto, Gladys Mgudlandlu, Thami Mnyele, and Sam Nzima.
Badi Rezzak (1990, France) is a Franco-Algerian artist based in Brussels. His work explores diasporic identity, with a focus on gender and racial issues. After studying at Villa Arson in Nice and training in sculpture and performance at ERG in Brussels, his multidisciplinary practice spans photography, sculpture, installations, and performance. Currently in residence at Moussem Nomadic Arts Center, Rezzak has exhibited at La Centrale in Brussels and performed 'A Stadium by the Dunes' at Beursschouwburg.
