Characterized by his use of black and sensual materials (such as textiles or silk paper), his paintings-
installations in deep black embody emotion and elegance, but also drama, melancholy, and memory.
In 2019, his installation at the Madagascar Pavilion for the Venice Biennale, I Have Forgotten the
Night, made of black silk paper, sent shivers through viewers as much as the artwork itself, earning
him international recognition. Born in Antananarivo in 1977, Joël Andrianomearisoa currently lives
across several geographies — between Madagascar, Paris, and his studio in the Creuse. Situating his
work in this cultural in-between, in this interstitial landscape, Andrianomearisoa nourishes his art with
multiple roots. Like a stolon (a botanical term describing a stem that runs along the ground surface
and gives birth to new shoots), he brings forth new forms through cultural confrontations, overlapping
histories, and diverse artisanal practices. In this sense, Joël Andrianomearisoa’s artistic practice is
fundamentally universal. It addresses human affects and summons them through shapes, colors,
smells, words, and sounds that awaken sensitive and sentimental reactions within each of us.

The choice of the exhibition title Tools of Emotions and Desires reflects a desire to bring emotions and sensitivity
back to the core of the artistic experience, thereby moving away from the emotional detachment that
has characterized much of contemporary art since minimalism. While the term “tool” traditionally
refers to a technical, utilitarian object, an extension of the hand that serves as an intermediary to act
upon the world, in Joël Andrianomearisoa’s work, every material, color, word, and gesture become an
emotional tool for feeling, unsettling, and moving.

Jérôme Sans . 2025