JOËL ANDRIANOMEARISOA: MIRACLE
Almine Rech New York, Upper East Side is pleased to present 'MIRACLE,' Joël Andrianomearisoa's third solo exhibition with the gallery. The exhibition is exemplary of Joël Andrianomearisoa's practice which has evolved to emotions and materiality: drawing, raphia, textile, and other techniques.
March 6 – April 19, 2025
Joël Andrianomearisoa’s artistic practice is defined by physical and conceptual movement. Shuttling between his studios in Antananarivo and Paris, he generates a dynamic third space of creativity that transcends geographical and cultural boundaries. These two locations—one embedded in the pulse of a global art capital, the other deeply rooted in the rhythms of Madagascar—are not merely physical sites of production but resonant landscapes of memory, material, and making. His practice is an act of translation, not between languages, but between textures, histories, and emotional registers.
His exhibition, 'MIRACLE,' at Almine Rech in New York—his first solo commercial gallery show in the United States—marks a significant moment in his trajectory. Structured in three distinct movements, "Hands," "Figures and Gestures," and "Miracle," the exhibition is not merely a presentation of objects but an invitation into an immersive choreography of touch, form, and presence. "The word is quite interesting, actually—this word 'miracle,'" he muses. "I think I’ve had it in mind for two or three years. I have architecture; I have Madagascar; I have many things around." This meditation unfolds as a layered exploration of material, memory, and the unseen forces that shape our existence.
At the heart of 'MIRACLE' is raphia—a material that transcends its function as fiber to become a carrier of history, labor, and cultural resonance. 'The material speaks,' Andrianomearisoa explains. 'It carries the whispers of Madagascar, the touch of generations, the complexity of cultural memory.' Raphia is not merely woven but charged with the weight of hands that have worked it for centuries, connecting past to present, tradition to contemporary expression.
In a world where touch has become politicized and material histories are often erased or overlooked, 'MIRACLE' asks us to see, feel, and recognize the quiet revolutions embedded in the everyday. Through his deft manipulation of form and deep engagement with craft, Andrianomearisoa transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary, reminding us that there is always the potential for something miraculous within the act of making.