Xän & Breeze Yoko
Photo © ARTMADA / NPL MADA PAINT
Masqué / Unmasked
- Artist
- Xän & Breeze Yoko
- Title
- Masqué / Unmasked
- Edition
- ARTMADA #1 · 2024
- Location
- 38 avenue des Caraïbes (ancien cinéma Olympia), Fort-de-France
- Area
- Centre-ville
- Access
- Visible from the street, free
The story of the mural
On avenue des Caraïbes, the old façade of the Olympia cinema, a landmark of Martinican culture (opened in 1950, closed in the early 2000s; the Snack Élizé downstairs stayed open for over fifty years until 2021).
Two artists painted two Black women. On the right, South African Breeze Yoko: eyes open, film reel on her head, a film bobbin as an ear stretcher, face patterns inspired by the Surma people of Ethiopia, a figure of Africa. On the left, Xän, co-founder of Mada Paint: a Caribbean woman with eyes closed under a madras headwrap, tags in her hair, her face breaking into pixels, today's filtered images that distort reality.
Between them, two masks: in a hyperconnected world, are we free to be ourselves, or forced to play a role?
Text : Digital Street Art (Creapolis trail commissioned by ARTMADA)
The artists
Xän
A versatile artist from the Mada Paint crew, Xän is known for murals of faces, Afro-Caribbean figures and symbolic motifs. He is drawn to heritage and describes his art as a universal language in constant change. He also designs ARTMADA's graphic identity.
See artist pageBreeze Yoko
A Cape Town-based multidisciplinary visual artist, Breeze Yoko works in graffiti, urban art and video and has painted in over 13 countries. Founder and artistic director of the Ubuhle Bendalo residency, he creates whimsical yet powerful murals that seek new ways to "read the city".
See artist page
