Untitled

by Ezekiel Messou

Ca. 2022

Unique work

Hand-signed by artist

Perfect condition

Invoice from the gallery

Ballpoint pen drawing on paper

Height x Width x Depth

21 x 29,7 x 0.1 cm

Not framed

Ezekiel Messou was born in 1971 in Benin. Within his sewing machine repair shop, hidden from outsiders, Ezekiel Messou fills his millimeter-squared school notebooks with a drawn inventory of sewing machine models. Using a pencil sharpened with a cutter blade, he starts out with light lines, almost dashed and, once the framework is sketched in, he begins pressing down harder. He goes on to draw more confidently executed straight lines using a screwdriver or wrench as a ruler. Next he fills in the surfaces, creating different shades of gray, adding the name of the machine brand he is drawing, or replacing it with his own name or his initials.

A final step is to affix the stamp of his establishment in red ink: "Ets qui sait l'Avenir * Réparation des Machines à Coudre * Le Machiniste" ["Establishment who knows the Future *Sewing Machine Repairs* The machinist"]. As Messou puts it, this stamp certifies that he is the author of the composition; it also serves as a sort of copyright: "no one can steal my drawings".