TEMANDROTA Malagasy, b. 1975
Temandrota’s work is inspired by Malagasy indigenous cultures. In this series he refers to the ancient Malagasy game - Fandron Tsivy - which is said to have been developed by the most powerful king in Malagasy history - the Highlands King Ralambo. It is still a very popular game of strategy played both by adults and children.
These works are part of the most recent series of paintings produced by Temandrota. Its composition reflects the geometric grid that is used in the game. Made with collected earth, sap, raffia, cane and recycled scraps of flip-flops and acrylic paint, the work is made of two parts: one symbolizes a pristine wooded landscape; the other, the same landscape after most of the trees have been burned. A mythological figure sits in the middle of these, while some game-pieces are disposed haphazardly across the grid.
These works are a comment by the artist on the challenges faced by local communities in contributing even in a small way to reducing emissions: the poorest countries still having to use charcoal burning wood from the shrinking forests as their fuel for cooking - there being no alternative in Madagascar.