The artist residency

Since 2025, the Museum has been hosting an artist every year.

It is an artist residency.

The artist works on a project that combines art and humanitarian work.

The public can take part for free.

You can help create the artwork.

When the artwork is finished, it is displayed in the Museum.

It is then added to the Museum’s collections.

Fragments d’espoir with Marc-Arthur Sohna

The artwork is called Fragments d'espoir.

This is a participatory artwork.

This means that anyone can take part in creating it.

Even when the artist is not here.

1. Who is Eshu, the guardian of crossroads?

Eshu is a deity in the Yoruba religion.

The Yoruba are a people from West Africa.

Eshu guards crossroads.

He carries messages between worlds.

A crossroads is a place where roads meet.

Eshu protects these important places.

He also helps people make choices.

In the 19th century, people were taken from Africa by force.

The 19th century means the 1800s.

These people became slaves.

A slave is someone who is owned by another person.

Eshu crossed the Atlantic with them.

The Atlantic is a large ocean between Africa and the Americas.

Colonial missionaries gave Eshu a new name.

They wanted people to think Eshu was an evil spirit.

Colonial missionaries were people who spread their religion in another country.

They called Eshu “Satan”.

This new name took an important symbol away from the Yoruba.

In 2014, the Yoruba started a movement.

This movement is called “Eshu is not Satan”.

This movement aims to defend Yoruba culture.

This movement is demanding respect.

2. What is the artist’s work about?

This artwork asks you to look at the world.

It asks you to think about how the planet is now.

Sometimes, we feel like we cannot change things.

This means we may feel stuck and sad.

But we are part of a collective.

A collective is a group of people.

It is a group that stands up for its ideas and values.

A value is something that matters to us.

Our values help us choose a direction.

This choice helps us feel less afraid and helps us change.

When we contribute to this artwork, we pause for a moment of quiet.

Pausing like this helps us find hope and new motivations.

A hope is a wish for the future.

Motivation is the energy we need to act.