Paying tribute to us alive! Moun Isi, not elsewhere. Not in the history books or on the gilded plaques in our streets. No flowers, no wreaths. But from here, from this neighborhood, this countryside, this anvil. An expression that speaks of belonging, of anchoring oneself to a land and designating those who are part of it, who live in it, who make it stand up every day. There's a kind of social invisibility that's specific to people who are considered ordinary, yet whose existence sustains the world without ever taking center stage. It's this invisibility that this exhibition tenderly addresses. During his residency with SeizeMetresCarres, Benny, a photographer from Martinique, criss-crossed the 34 communes of the peyi to meet the moun isi, the men and women we pass without suspecting their lives, their silent involvement in the life of this island. Whether their names are Djapa, Yvonnette, Max, Malou, Gilbert or Camilia, they are all pieces of life entrusted to us and shared with us today. What others would call living heritage, here we simply call: Moun Isi. Gens d'ici. Our people. Benny casts a fair and affectionate eye on them, one that doesn't judge, that doesn't freeze, that simply affirms: these people exist, they count, they are this land. 34 large-format portraits, 34 landscapes, to which poet Yawa has added her words in Creole, French and sometimes English. Sound designer Yemendja Abatuci has stitched these 34 stories together to form a single story, nourished by joys, losses, hesitations, smiles and memories. Life as it is told. 34 communities. 34 portraits. 34 landscapes. 34 poems. 1 life score. So much proof that this peyi Martinique exists, that it still exists, that it still tells its own story. Rene-Charles Suvelor aka Benny Benny, affectionately known as Benny, was best known for his stage and screen performances as a humorist. Yet the artist was drawn to photography from an early age. An indefatigable jokester, he was an eternal witness to movements in Martinican society. Whether cultural or social, the artist is always present, lens in hand. Over the years, he has become one of Martinique's most popular photographers. With his mischievous smile and knowing gaze, he sits on the terrace of the Hotel L'Imperatrice, remaking the world with his accomplices... The artist plays the game of portraiture every day, choosing the face that will be the portrait of the day and religiously posting it on his social networks. A sociable, sensitive person, he brings his subjects to reveal themselves to him without artifice, without fuss, without nature-nature posing. After a first solo exhibition Foyal insolite et reveuse proposed during the Festival Culturel de Fort-de-France in 2018, he has participated in various photographic projects on the island. With this exhibition, the artist aims to reveal the mouns of our peyi. Artistic team Curator - Mylene Emica (SeizeMetresCarres) Photography - Benny Creation poetique - Yawa Creation sonore - Yemendja Abatuci Scenographie - Jehann Pognon (Arcan) Mediation culturelle - Tomeska & Irina Nirennold Chargee de production & création de contenu - Irina Nirennold (blueinrevol) Graphisme - Namber One Agency Impression - Colibri Graphic Production - Michael Pago (SeizeMetresCarres) Montage, dismantling, technical - L'equipe de Tropiques Atrium Scene nationale An exhibition presented by SeizeMetresCarres in partnership with Tropiques Atrium Scene nationale, the DAC Martinique, the CTM and the CACEM. Exhibition times Tuesday to Friday: 1 pm - 6 pm Saturday: 10 am - 1 pm Call 0596 70 79 31 for schools and groups Guided tours for groups of 10 or more Tropiques Atrium, 6 rue Jacques Cazotte, Fort de France, 0596 70 79 29
