The Serpent is a work by Benin artist Romuald Hazoumè. It was first shown during the UKs Bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade in 2007. For the installation, scaffolding had to be erected to hoist the sculpture into the correct position. An essential part of the process included weighting the artwork inside the plinth to secure it from falling over during strong winds.
With The Serpent, Hazoumè addressed the exploitation of human and natural resources and how this affects communities worldwide and over time. The spherical form of the serpent swallowing its tail suggests the mistreatment and the perpetual suffering caused to ordinary people by those in power. The sculpture is made of recycled jerry cans used to carry petrol in Benin and Nigeria.
Romuald Hazoumè was the recipient of the esteemed Arnold Bode Prize at Documenta 12, for his critical and radical oeuvre expressed in a wide range of media, including multimedia installation, sculpture, video, photography, and painting.
image: Romuald Hazoumè, Rainbow Serpent, 2007 , interlocking jerry cans installation.
Courtesy and ©Renée Pfister Art & Gallery Consultancy, Romuald Hazoumè, October Gallery, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 2021. All rights reserved.
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