Ambi’s Story, Through ‘A-fo’

Mahetsaka, Midi Madagasikara, 1 February 2014.

For her first solo exhibition in Madagascar, at Is’art galerie until 5 February, Ambinintsoa Andrianjakarivelo, known as Ambi, tells her own story through her paintings. The article traces the hardships she faced in France, notably a contested deportation notice in 2007, despite having all the required papers, which gave rise to the painting “Indignez-vous.” It shows how the artist turns these painful experiences into painting, notably in “État civil.” It also returns to her fascination with fire, born in childhood from the traces left by bush fires, and to the painting “Scissiparité,” which distils that journey.

Fire isn’t always destructive, at least not to me. It’s a purifying element.

Summary and quotation from the original article, signed Mahetsaka, under the title “L’histoire d’Ambi à travers ‘A-fo.’”