Eddy Ekete: L’Homme Canette, a sonic mirror of our consumer society
Eddy Ekete is a contemporary artist whose hard-hitting work confronts us with our complex relationship with consumption and waste. Traveling between the Congo and France, Eddy Ekete, also known as “Homme Canette” or “Matchacha Man”, creates striking work-performances that resonate far beyond art galleries.
From Kinshasa to Strasbourg, a singular artistic trajectory
Born in Kinshasa in 1978, Eddy Ekete trained as an artist at the Beaux-Arts. It was during a workshop at the Institut français, as part of the “Rond Point” project, that his artistic vision took a decisive turn. Her encounter with artists Simons Farel and Fabien Verchères opened her mind to contemporary art and the issue of waste, a theme that would from then on permeate her work. This experience marked the start of a profound artistic exploration, taking him from the busy streets of Kinshasa to the more structured workshops of Strasbourg.
The birth of Can Man
His arrival in Strasbourg, a city renowned for its cleanliness, paradoxically rekindled his interest in waste. The discovery of a pile of abandoned cans on the banks of the Rhine acted as a catalyst, echoing his experience in Kinshasa. This observation gave rise to Homme Canette, a unique costume-sculpture made entirely from recycled cans. His performances in Strasbourg’s public spaces elicit a variety of reactions, ranging from curiosity and astonishment to apprehension. The nickname “Homme Canette” (“Can Man”), spontaneously bestowed by children, quickly became established, eclipsing his initial appellation “Machacha Man”, inspired by a stinging Congolese plant and the sound produced by the costume.
A spiritual and ancestral dimension
Eddy Ekete’s work resonates with a spiritual and ancestral dimension, establishing a symbolic link between Can Man and the N’kisi statues, nail fetishes of Bantu culture. Just as the nails embody the problems and words in the N’kisi statues, the saliva present in each can collected by the artist carries a strong symbolic charge. The intense physical and emotional experience of wearing the costume, a source of almost mystical euphoria, demands great self-control to avoid suffocation.
A commitment to international education
Eddy Ekete deploys his artistic commitment on an international scale, performing in numerous European and African cities to raise public awareness of environmental issues. He also runs workshops and trains dancers and artists in his approach, passing on his knowledge and encouraging experimentation. He sees the future of his work in the creation of a festival and the conservation of his works in museums, considering them to be precious testimonies of our times.
Criticism of consumer society
Beyond its aesthetic and performative aspects, Eddy Ekete’s work is an acerbic and subtle critique of consumer society. He deconstructs the insidious mechanisms of advertising, notably the strategic use of colors to influence our buying behavior. His work with recycled materials is a committed act, a way of giving a second life to waste and confronting us with our own responsibility in the face of overconsumption. He uses the very codes of this society, such as the bright colors and recognizable shapes of packaging, the better to hijack them and transform them into meaningful works of art.
Eddy Ekete’s powerful, poetic art invites us to reflect deeply on our society. His unique work, which fuses performance, sculpture and social critique, deserves to be discovered and shared. It is a powerful reminder of the need for collective awareness of environmental challenges and the excesses of consumerism. To delve deeper into Eddy Ekete’s world, we invite you to listen to his full interview on the Africa Fashion Tour podcast.
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