Myriam Mihindou

Gabon
1964
Mihindou defies cultural or medium-specific categorizations by engaging with the porosity and concept of "Relation," as defined by Édouard Glissant. Her performances, considered rituals or tests, often involve walking on glass, embedding her skin with needles, or wrapping herself in cotton. These acts create out-of-body experiences that reflect the pains Mihindou seeks to soothe or heal. Her use of organic, 'evanescent' materials connects to the 'sacred feminine' and the deep memory of the body​​.

Myriam Mihindou, born in 1964 in Libreville, Gabon, is a multifaceted artist whose work spans performance, sculpture, photography, and more. Mihindou's art is profoundly autobiographical, deeply engaging with themes of memory, identity, and the body in social, political, and sexual contexts. She has a unique ability to traverse various mediums, often treating photography as a 'negative' and exploring ephemeral materials that bodies either dissolve or leave only as imprints, such as wax and cotton .

Mihindou's artistic journey began after studying architecture, leading her to the École des Beaux-Arts in Bordeaux. Her discovery of Land Art, along with the influences of Joseph Beuys and Ana Mendieta, directed her exploration towards nature through ritualized actions. This exploration is evident in her performances where she uses her body as both a tool and a canvas to portray healing processes and rituals accompanying transitions from one state to another​​.

Her work is internationally recognized, with exhibitions at significant venues like The National Museum of African Art at the Smithsonian Institution, and she has actively participated in collective exhibitions worldwide. Mihindou's art aims to spotlight vulnerability and the quest for personal identity, embodying a transformative experience that channels the therapeutic dimensions of art​​​​.

Throughout her career, Mihindou has developed an intersectional body of work addressing racial issues, sex, gender, language, and class, using her personal experiences and history—particularly colonial history—to shape and vocalize suffering endured by those outside the dominant community. Her work offers a space for resistance and resilience, exploring trauma, reparation, and resilience as central territories​​.

Artworks