Past Residents
Past Resident2023: La Fondation pour l'Art Contemporain Claudine et Jean-Marc Salomon
Kokou Ferdinand Makouvia
Kokou Ferdinand Makouvia is a multimedia artist whose works are a dialogue with matter. In his practice, Makouvia explores the essence of matter and it’s relationship with humans, emphasizing the energy that underlies in material expression.
Kokou Ferdinand Makouvia has exhibited work at Galerie Sator, Paris; De Ateliers, Amsterdam; and Musée de la Céramique, Normandy, among others.
Kokou Ferdinand Makouvia, Kpomonè Adjowa, 2022, sculpture, 8 × 13 × 8 in. (20.32 × 33.02 × 20.32 cm).
Kokou Ferdinand Makouvia, En Attente, 2022, sculpture, dimensions variable.
Kokou Ferdinand Makouvia, Kotogan, titre provisoire, 2022, sculpture, dimensions variable.
Kokou Ferdinand Makouvia, Féfé Kplé Dzo, 2021, sculpture, dimensions variable.
Kokou Ferdinand Makouvia, Villosité, 2022, sculpture, dimensions variable.
Past Resident2022: Canada Council for the Arts2018: Canada Council for the Arts
Laurie Kang
Through sculpture, photography, and site-responsive installation, Laurie Kang explores the body as an ongoing process. The artist considers her work to be regurgitative, combining theory, poetry, and biography. Kang’s broad approach to photography examines the complex nature of identity, the body, and its connections to larger social structures. Her work delves into topics such as affect, embodiment, non-linearity, and non-singularity.
Laurie Kang has exhibited work at the New Museum, New York; SculptureCenter, New York; and Oakville Galleries, Ontario, among others.
Laurie Kang, Worm, 2019, flex-C track, sand, cast aluminum lotus root, cast aluminum perilla leaf and powermesh. Courtesy of Oakville Galleries. Photo by Laura Findlay.
Laurie Kang, Bloom, 2019, polymer clay, nylon, paint cans, reflective sheeting and cordyceps fungus. Courtesy of Oakville Galleries. Photo by Laura Findlay.
Laurie Kang, Great Shuttle, 2021, flex track, steel studs, airline cable, hardware, unfixed and continually sensitive film, photograms, spherical magnets, silicone, thread; cast aluminum anchovies, lotus root, perilla leaf, and cabbage leaf.
Laurie Kang, Root, 2021, cast aluminum.
Laurie Kang, Scaffold, 2022, construction bags, cast aluminum lotus root and pigmented silicone, 46 × 41/2 × 111 in. (116.84 × 11.43 × 281.94 cm). Courtesy of Catriona Jeffries.
Residents from Canada
Past Resident2023: Uniarts Helsinki's Academy of Fine Arts and Saastamoinen Foundation
Felipe de Ávila Franco
Felipe de Ávila Franco investigates materiality through the lens of environmental aesthetics, creating sculptures, multimedia installations, and electromechanical systems, among other things. By combining traditional and experimental sculpture techniques, the artist explores the boundaries between different mediums.
Felipe de Ávila Franco has exhibited work at Helsinki Art Museum; Kiasma Contemporary Museum; and Amos Rex Museum, all in Helsinki, among others.
Events & Exhibitions
2023 Spring Open Studios
April 21–April 22, 2023
Felipe de Ávila Franco, Eclipse, 2017-2020, wood, light bulb, oil, and electromechanics, 2413/16 × 2413/16 × 85/8 in. (62.99 × 62.99 × 21.84 cm).
Felipe de Ávila Franco, Displacements, 2021, porcelain, terracota, contaminated residue from mining site and PVC, dimensions variable.
Felipe de Ávila Franco, Provoked Archaeologies, 2019, excavated soil in the Amazonia rainforest, branches, and sisal rope, dimensions variable.
Felipe de Ávila Franco, Favela Offshore #2, 2021, video, 10 min.
Felipe de Ávila Franco, Reflexive Landscapes, 2021, UV print on Neobond, wood, frame and forest ashes, 45,6 × 90,5 in. (45,6 × 90,5 cm).
