Lynne Gbodjrou Kouassi – Anointing

This book is part of the exhibition salbung. Salbung means “anointing.” It is the first solo exhibition by the artist Lynne Gbodjrou Kouassi at the Helmhaus in Zurich. For the exhibition, the artist had the floor of the Helmhaus repainted, and it is now lilac. The pages in this book have different colours, which are the exact colours the Helmhaus floor has had over the past 25 years. Lynne Gbodjrou Kouassi considers the work with the floor to be important and says that when the floor changes, visitors experience the Helmhaus in a different way. The book includes an interview with Silvia Federici, a philosopher who knows a great deal about witches, and her ideas therefore connect well with the themes of the exhibition. The book also contains a number of words with explanations; these words gave Lynne Gbodjrou Kouassi inspiration or help to better understand her work. Some images in the book show works by the artist, while other images show the Helmhaus floor in its different colours.