Interdisciplinary artists Bodil Ouédraogo and Yann Turchi don’t do things by halves. Having collaborated on Ouédraogo’s current body of work, 'Framed Intimacy 01' – which she is presenting at Unfair Amsterdam this week – they’ve now gone one step further to create this extra special visual story for Nataal, ‘Framed Intimacy 02’, that adds a new dimension to their shared vision.

Ouédraogo’s practice draws on her Dutch-Burkinabé heritage and fashion studies at Rietveld Academie to play in the spaces between art and fashion to create new worlds steeped in complex emotions. Her work interlaces dance, cinema, photography and sculpture to explore how the art of dressing up can uncover and connect greater personal truths. “I try to find ways to nurture and honour every part of (my) identity, the self,” the emerging artist explains. “How can we stand in line with who went before us? How to portray an imagination where all these parts are layered and transparent? I believe that giving light to forgotten or neglected parts of the self is an act that asks for radical imagination.”

'Framed Intimacy 01' is made up of a tableaux of ceramic sculptures reminiscent of the West African wood statuettes in her father’s personal collection. These create a conversation with a filmed projection of the artist wearing a striking mask-meets-wig designed by Turchi and crafted by fellow artist Jean Louis Guimaron of Le Chemin des Maquettes. By adopting the bearing and positioning of the sculptures, and donning this unique headpiece, Ouédraogo is embodying the past in the present.

“In these pieces of our heritage, you see how our ancestors used to present bodies through artworks. So, what can I learn from the way these bodies pose? It speaks to a longing for who went before us, a longing to express togetherness through material heirlooms. I try to capture the human intimacy and generational connection of these wooden sculptures by placing myself in between them,” she says.

Turchi, an esteemed hair artist in Paris whose work in art and fashion is wedded to multi-culturalism, jumped at the invitation to collaborate with Ouédraogo on her deeply moving series. And once complete, the two decided to go back to the mask-wig and use it again to create this series of portraits of Ouédraogo. In doing so, Turchi is celebrating the artist and their collective energies. Separate to ‘Framed Intimacy 01’ and yet in harmony with it, we feel their two universes combine to create a new Afrofuturistic chapter.

“I always try to bring a cultural point of view that add some context and meanings to my work,” Turchi says. “For ‘Framed Intimacy 02’, the idea was to create an empowering persona that people could identify with. Of course, the main focus was this beautiful piece of art she is wearing, but the vision was bigger. I wanted to communicate a positive and strong image of all my sisters and community looking up to fashion and art as a representative media.”

‘Framed Intimacy 01’ is presented at Unfair Amsterdam, 16 – 19 November, 2023. More information here.