tropeztropez.de
tropeztropez.de

Rashiyah Elanga
Millenium Ecosystem/ My friend the corosympath, 2024

tropeztropez.de

Plexiglass, acrylic glass, CDs, paper, Styrofoam, wood 

74 x 160 x 71 cm, 100 x 70 cm 

 

While waiting in line at the kiosk, the swimming pool guests encounter the artwork Millennium Ecosystem / My Friend the Corosympath. At the center of the installation is an aquarium tower containing the remnants of the so-called Corosympaths. Rashiyah Elanga has invented this fictitious aquatic civilization: Pubescent Corosympaths grow corals from their heads. Upon their death, these corals serve as intelligent nourishment for new Corosympaths. Elanga presents relics of this imaginary marine civilization in the aquarium, following the tradition of ethnological museums. This aims to draw the attention of the viewers to violent ethnological practices and colonial continuity in museums. The artwork not only narrates the story of the lost civilization but also addresses the challenge of finding new forms of preservation: How can the traces of many lives be archived? And how can the swarm save collective memories and stories in the present and future? 

About the Artist

Rashiyah Elanga (they/them), born in 1997 in Orléans (FR), lives and works in Paris (FR). Elanga creates dynamic images, 3D animations, installations, and performances using vibrant colors. In their artworks, science and myths intersect with internet subcultures, teenage rituals, and the cultural heritage of their Congolese family. Elanga's work was recently shown at Baleno International (Rome, IT), Basel Social Club (Basel, CH) and at Forde (Geneva, CH). 

The kingdom of the Corosympaths, 2022


Corals are superorganisms. They are neither plants nor minerals but animals.

They play the role of protector and builder of the ocean. They shelter multiple
ecosystems. Corals are the nursery of the ocean. As a memory of the beautiful hairstyle of their ancestors, the corosympaths
developed a symbiotic relationship with corals.They use the corals as an intergenerational information support.
Corals grow out of their skull at the age of puberty. At their death the coral falls down
and is used for the ectogenesis of the embryos.The cycle begins again.

These boxes present us with a vestige of this imaginary sea civilisation.

The installation takes its point of departure from the display system used in ethnographic museums, which to our knowledge flattens and empties the exhibited object of all essence. It is also rarely possible to trace the histories of these objects without going through stories of extreme violence and falsity.

Adding a layer of verisimilitude to their myth, this installation tries to show us what an exhibition of objects that belonged to the Corosympaths might be like. The boxes are no longer really objects for display, but rather containers for the magic that rhythmed the lives of the Corosympaths. These boxes are even a threat to anyone who opens them carelessly.

Preservation and archiving

What can be done to preserve the relics of life over time? Is this really useful?  And an even more important question emerges: how can we preserve life itself? Life itself is complex, but the ecosystems in which it is encapsulated are even more so. Are we condemned to tell the stories and fabulations of our human and non-human ancestors? When will it be our turn to become a simple tale? And who, or even what, will have the last word?