in Lyon, Beninese photographer Louis Oke-Agbo shares his healing method in an exhibition

Louis Oke-Agbo exhibits his photographs in Lyon until May 16, after an art therapy workshop without borders. “Laterite, land of Benin” is the result of an encounter between African and European culture.

Louis Oke-Agbo, this name resonates in the world of Beninese photography. This accomplished artist, founder of the NGO Vie et Solidarité, moved to Lyon for a week of residency at La Maison des arts of the Vinatier psychiatric hospital. An extraordinary place where artists find refuge to create and express themselves. If the residency is now finished, the exhibition Laterite, land of Beninis held there until May 16.

Accompanied by two talents from his art therapy center, Oke-Agbo shares his vision: “Photography, at the beginning, was my breath of fresh air, my freedom. Now, I want to share it with young people.” Behind a lens or armed with a brush, art in all its forms offered him true freedom of expression. A laudable mission, especially in a country where disability has long been stigmatized.

Healing the soul through art

Healing through art is not a new idea, but crossing views between African and European patients gives rise to a new project. Laterite, land of Benin mixes the works of artists from both continents in an exhibition that has the effect of medicine. “I can’t say what’s going on inside me. This union, being together around the same passion, is already a step towards the better”, confides a visitor. And to feel better, sometimes you just need to paint simple pebbles, symbols of our connection to the earth. Art therapy has no borders, as one participant confided: “In the 1970s, I visited Benin, only good memories. It was something joyful. Here, the artists are in a therapeutic approach, it reminds me of my own condition.”

At the same time, the works of Vinatier artists respond to those of the Beninese. One way to put in light art therapy and promote psychosocial recovery. Singular, astonishing creations that tell stories for those who know how to listen.

The artistic photos of Louis Oke-Agbo complete this exceptional exhibition called “Laterite, land of Benin”. An immersion in a world discoveries and healing through art, to be seen only on Thursday afternoons by appointment, until May 16, at the Maison des arts of the Le Vinatier hospital center.