La Paix des Braves
2019 - 2021
Pascale Marthine Tayou
Paving stones symbolize protest and revolution. Throwing stones has been part of uprisings throughout history: the July Revolution of 1830 in France, May ’68, and the Palestinian Intifada, for example. But here, the white flag has been raised — not as a sign of surrender, but as an invitation to lay down the weapons.
Details
- Plan number: M41
- Zone: Human Nature
- Title: La Paix des Braves (The Peace of the Brave)
- Creator: Pascale Marthine Tayou
- Date: 2019 - 2021
- Material: natural stone, paint, wood, fabric
- Acquisition: purchase
- Object number: MID.B.680
The moment the guns fall silent is the only moment that pleases Pascale Marthine Tayou. It takes courage to bury the hatchet. The installation combines the need for redress—what was wrong has been demolished—with the desire for reconciliation—all the colors in this pile of stones working together to achieve peace.
This artwork reminds us that even in the face of differing opinions and different colors, we can choose to stop the discussion and reach out to each other. Is this what brings us closer to what it means to be human or humane?
Early in his career, Cameroonian-Belgian contemporary artist Pascale Marthine Tayou feminized his first and middle names to “Pascale Marthine.” In doing so, he refuted the importance the artworld attaches to authorship and gender. His sculptures, installations, videos, drawings, and objects explore the intersection between different cultures, the journey of the individual in the globalized world, and the place and perception of his African identity within it.
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