Human
I knocked at your door,
I knocked at your heart,
looking for a good bed,
looking for a good fire.
Why turn me away?
Let me in, my friend !
Why do you ask
if I am from Africa,
if I am from America,
if I am from Asia,
if I am from Europe ?
Let me in, my friend !
Why do you ask
the length of my nose,
the size of my mouth,
the shade of my skin,
the name of my gods?
Let me in, my friend !
I am not a black,
I am not a red,
I am not a yellow,
I am not a white.
I am just like you.
Let me in, my friend !
Let me in your door,
let me in your heart.
Like you I am
the one whatever age,
the one in all the skies,
the one who looks like you.
René Philombé
(English adaptation by Aidan Rooney)
SUBLIME DIFFÉRENCE
In Sublime Différence, his first solo show, Richmond Tehé explores distinctions perceived as obstacles, as dividing lines between individuals. Rather than seeing them as barriers, the artist invites us to see in difference a strength and beauty that transcend appearance. Isn't difference what binds us together, what reveals our common humanity? It goes far beyond visible boundaries, presenting itself as a facet of the sublime, a variation that enriches rather than divides existence.
Richmond Tehé's work is based on a strong visual identity, in which the line is the main medium of artistic expression. He doesn't hide his lines; instead, he reveals them, constructing intense portraits that are both fragmented and deeply human. Each line, each dynamic hatch, generates a tension between order and chaos, control and spontaneity. These interplay of lines are not merely aesthetic gestures, but rays of light revealing the beauty, living emotions and human vibrations that infuse each work.
Through Sublime Différence, Richmond Tehé invites us to take a look at the albino community of Côte d'Ivoire, a population often marginalized, reduced to silence or dissimulation by superstition and stigma. This community, and more broadly all those who fall outside what is considered the norm, is at the heart of his artistic exploration. By bringing them to light, he offers them a place in the visible, while questioning the invisible walls we build between each other.
These depictions are deeply marked by a subtle balance of shapes and textures. The figures, locked between bars of iron, wood or wire mesh, create a distance between the figure and the viewer, while at the same time acting as protective walls. The artist purifies the portrait, retaining only the essential facial features, but these eyes remain perceptive, filled with doubt and introspection. These fragile lines materialize the boundary between inside and outside, questioning what holds us back and what, on the contrary, frees us.
The pastel tones chosen to represent the albinos, in contrast to the chromatic explosion usually present in Richmond Tehé's work, create a special atmosphere, a sensation of fragility and intensity. And yet, this color difference in no way deprives the work of its universality. Doubt, pride, courage, melancholy... all these feelings run through his portraits, and resonate with René Philombe's poem “L'Homme qui te ressemble” (“Human”).
In Sublime Différence, Richmond Tehé not only confronts differences, he also unites them. His work encourages us to reconsider our perception of others, and to look beyond appearances. He reminds us that, far from isolating us, our singularities are actually enriching. Indeed, difference is not a border; it becomes a common language, a bridge stretched towards the other, an invitation to understand and celebrate alterity.
