Divorando le Pietre is an exhibition by artist Georges Adéagbo (Benin) developed for the tenth edition of Black History Month Florence. Drawing upon the theme of this edition of Black History Month Florence, “Tempo Rubato”, — a meditation on stolen time and histories — Divorando le Pietre draws its title from the saying “Il tempo divora le pietre” (time devours stones), pushing for a reflection on how time ignores the cycles that we associate with humanity. Employing complex understandings of collage which remix time and geography, the exhibition is a meditation on artistic and spiritual traditions as a disruption of long-held social and spiritual perceptions.

“I walk, I think, I see, I pass, I come back, I pick up the objects that attract me, I go home, I read things, I make notes, I learn.” This is how Georges Adéagbo describes his working process, often depicted as abstract constellations. His installations always begin with materials collected during strolls traversing the African continent and are expanded by fragments gathered in the cities where he exhibits. For this exhibition, Adéagbo revisits works conceived during a project in Rome, Venice, and Florence in 2008, layering wooden sculptures, books, everyday objects, and artefacts from Benin into dynamic collages.

Quoting a text embedded in one of his assemblages, “Archaeology is the science, that talks about the research and the discovery of the mysteries that govern a country, the mysteries that govern a person”.

His installations at MAD Murate Art District form a visual dialogue between Florence’s historical legacy – its maps, frescoes, and architecture – and the myriad of other aspects that make up the identity of a place. Adéagbo weaves connections between personal experiences, cultural reinterpretation, and layered associations, crafting an “archaeology of knowledge” that reveals fresh narratives and examines the intricacies of cultural exchange. He considers his practice work an “archeology of mentalities” that reverses the roles of the explorer and the explored.