L'Espérance, c'est une douleur

The exhibition presents a panorama of the hidden signs of the history of slavery, of which the port of La Rochelle was a part. In an attempt to reconnect the symptoms of this triangular tragedy with contemporary reality, Brazilian artist André Vargas expresses his point of view on the black diaspora and proposes a reversal of the barriers of time. Unveiling and producing a different history, one capable of better interpreting Black slavery, requires a critical reflection on the most crystallized symbols of coloniality. By highlighting the scarcity of memorial sites capable of reflecting this discussion, the exhibition invites us to reflect on the violence of slavery in Brazil, but also in France. For his exhibition in La Rochelle, the result of a 48-day creative residency at the Centre Intermondes - Ethnopôle Humanités Océanes, André Vargas worked on the way in which the legacy of slavery of African origin is experienced and acts on Brazilian popular culture today. Available at in paintings, ex-votos, objects and banners, this work is articulated between signifier, signified and symbols. But while languages, writing and words are interwoven here with a reflection on the history of triangular trade, a deep understanding of the force and impact of his art also requires an interest in the spiritual world of the umbanda religion (a syncretic practice that brings together Catholic saints and the orixas of the African Yoruba pantheon).