Interview with Precious Okoyomon

In this video, artist Precious Okoyomon guides us through their singular universe, on the occasion of the exhibition Dance With Demons presented at LUMA Arles. They present two works: Beloved and the sun eats her children, installations that intertwine memory, colonization, and racialization.

The installation the sun eats her children immerses the viewer in a strange and enchanting garden, populated by poisonous plants and butterflies. At the heart of this magical yet unsettling ecosystem lies Beloved, a teddy bear with closed eyes, which periodically lets out a primal, surprising, and visceral scream.

The name Beloved echoes the novel by Toni Morrison, in which a mother, haunted by the ghost of her daughter, embodies the indelible traumas of slavery.

These two works challenge the traditional image of nature as a peaceful and pure place. By blending violence, beauty, and fragility, Precious Okoyomon explores cycles of life, destruction, and regeneration.