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Romuald Hazoumè’s exhibition My Blue Period is on view at October Gallery in London through November 21, 2026. Its found-object masks, made from plastic jugs and materials such as feathers and netting, draw on stories of women affected by war and other crises; Hazoumè describes blue as a call for sympathy and reduced suffering.
Romuald Hazoumè’s exhibition My Blue Period is on view at October Gallery in London through November 21, bringing together masks made from plastic jugs and other found materials that address grief, armed conflict and ecological destruction. The artist says the newer works draw on reported stories of women affected by violence and loss, using blue as a symbol of peace and a plea for sympathy.
The sculptures belong to Hazoumè’s series masques bidons, translated in the source report as “fake masks.” The artist adapts the vessels’ practical features into facial forms: circular openings become mouths, while handles suggest noses. He combines the jugs with objects including feathers, netting and hardened paintbrushes, leaving the containers visible rather than disguising their original use.
According to the exhibition report by Colossal, earlier works in the series addressed men and broad subjects such as migration and social collapse. The newer sculptures focus on women and specific tragedies. Hazoumè refers to a mother in Gaza killed while seeking bread for her children and a Russian widow who poisoned herself after both her sons died. The report presents these as stories behind the works; it does not provide independent reporting on the individual events.
Hazoumè says he made the pieces to give physical form to his own response to what he encounters in news reports. He describes collecting ordinary names from tragic accounts around the world, and frames the recurring treatment of women as part of a wider pattern of abuse. The exhibition includes works titled Kongo, Shoshi, Soulagée, Chênnai and Thal, dated from 2024 to 2026.
Blue as a Call for Sympathy
The exhibition connects discarded plastic with accounts of human suffering, making the material itself part of the subject rather than a neutral sculptural medium. The masks retain visible signs of the jugs they came from, while their suggested faces invite viewers to read emotion into ordinary objects. Hazoumè says that tension is deliberate: the viewer is meant to recognize both the container and the face they imagine in it.
Blue gives the group of works a shared response to the crises it references. Hazoumè contrasts the color with the “red lines” associated with war and with blood, describing an imagined “blue line” as a way to call for less suffering and renewed hope. That is the artist’s interpretation, not a claim that the artworks can resolve the conflicts they evoke. Their stated purpose is to bear witness and encourage sympathy.
For visitors, the exhibition also raises questions about how news of distant violence is absorbed and remembered. By connecting specific stories to assembled objects, Hazoumè makes the work a personal response to public events. The source report does not establish how audiences have received the exhibition or measure any wider effect.
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The Masks and Their References
My Blue Period takes its title from Pablo Picasso’s Blue Period, which began after the death of his friend, according to the report. Colossal also links the title to Picasso’s later African Period, during which he appropriated masking traditions from across the continent. The comparison is part of the exhibition’s framing, but Hazoumè’s stated focus differs: he says the works respond to current geopolitical and ecological crises rather than to his own personal grief alone.
Hazoumè’s method depends on keeping the source material legible. As he explains, the plastic container should remain in view even as the viewer perceives a face. This approach gives the masks a double character: they are constructed figures, but also recognizable objects made for everyday use. The current exhibition presents recent additions to a series that has previously addressed wider themes of migration and collapse.
The show is listed at October Gallery in London through November 21, 2026. The source report identifies the venue and closing date but does not give opening hours, admission details or a full exhibition checklist.
““For me, it’s crucial that you never lose sight of the container (bidon), yet still believe in the illusion.””
— Romuald Hazoumè
Details Behind the Stories
The source report does not identify the names, dates or original news outlets for the individual tragedies Hazoumè references. It also does not independently verify those accounts; they are presented as stories that informed the artist’s work. The report does not specify which sculpture corresponds to each account, or explain how the names attached to the works were selected.
Practical details about the exhibition, including admission, visiting hours and whether further programming is planned, are not included in the material provided. No information is given about what will happen to the works after the exhibition closes.
Exhibition Runs to November 21
My Blue Period is scheduled to remain at October Gallery through November 21, 2026. The source report does not announce additional events, a tour to another venue or a later showing. Readers seeking visiting information can check with the gallery; no further exhibition plans are confirmed in the material available.
Key Questions
Where can visitors see My Blue Period?
The exhibition is at October Gallery in London. The source report says it runs through November 21, 2026, but does not include visiting hours or admission information.
What are Hazoumè’s masks made from?
They are made from plastic jugs and found objects, including feathers, netting and hardened paintbrushes. The jugs’ openings and handles help form the faces.
What stories inform the newer works?
Hazoumè says the newer masks refer to accounts of women affected by violence and loss, including a mother in Gaza killed while seeking bread and a Russian widow whose two sons died. The report does not independently verify those individual accounts.
Why does Hazoumè use blue?
Hazoumè associates blue with serenity, healing and peace in Yoruba culture. He describes it as a counterpoint to war imagery and a symbol of the need to reduce suffering and restore sympathy.
Source: thisiscolossal.com
