Artist Talk

Marie-José Crespin

8 Jun 2018 | Johann Jacobs Museum | FR/GE

Marie-José Crespin in conversation with Koyo Kouoh (RAW Material Company, Director) and Roger M. Buergel (JJM, Director) about Crespin’s career as a lawyer, her cultural activities in Senegal and her art of collier necklace-making.

Crespin was born in Benin, studied law and was a member of the Constitutional Council in Senegal. Today she lives on Gorée Island, a central hub of the transatlantic slave trade. Since her youth, Crespin has been making collier necklaces with gems, pearls, shells, and metals documenting the history of the African continent.

The exhibition L’Afrique des Colliers: Marie-José Crespin features a selection of these unusual pieces.