Looking back on 2023

First of all, a big thank you. Thanks to you and the trust placed in the artistic and human approach, more and more people are taking it upon themselves to circulate portraits of figures from the United Souls collection in public spaces. This year 2023 has been full of projects and events, and here's a brief summary.

United Souls in the museum shop

This year was intense. Indeed, we had the honor that our Fela Kuti T-shirt , a creation by the artist Joy Hanoun , was selected as a goodie for the Afrobeat Rebellion expo on Fela Kuti, the king of Afrobeat at the Philharmonie de Paris - Cité de la Musique. From October 2022 to June 2023, United Souls was on sale at the Music Museum gift shop.

We also carried out a short but beautiful operation by offering our creations bearing the image of Oum Kalthoum and Frantz Fanon , two creations by the artist Marie-Claire Laffaire , at the Arab World Institute boutique.

United Souls and the ART Weapon association

To take our approach further, we decided to create the association ART Weapon , whose goal is to put art at the service of social change. Beyond the duty of remembrance, United Souls also pays tribute to the major role of music in the emancipation of oppressed peoples. Thanks to Art Weapon and in partnership with the Departmental Council of Haute-Garonne , we were able to organize " Africa in Struggle" . An exhibition of 12 of our wrestling figures in A0 format, accompanied by the biographical texts of the historian Amzat Boukari-Yabara , followed by a musical conference on the role of music in political and identity struggles between the shores of the Atlantic in the presence of the music columnist Soro Solo and the historian Amzat Boukari-Yabara himself.

This exhibition was also presented at the Paroles Indigo Literary Festival in Arles. During this significant event, ART Weapon had the privilege of presenting the exhibition "Figures of Struggle". This exhibition enriched the Van Gogh space, where the conference entitled "Pan-Africanism, a moment in history" took place.

A major exhibition at major festivals

After the Rio Loco festival in 2022 where we proposed an XXL exhibition of wrestling figures printed on 15 m² tarpaulins, we had the honor this year of proposing this large-scale exhibition at the great Fête de l'humanité From September 16 to 18, 2023, in Essonne, France, more than 430,000 visitors from all walks of life came to celebrate music, culture, solidarity, and political debate. Art Weapon took the opportunity to participate in this edition in collaboration with United Souls to present the exhibition "Figures of Struggles XXL." This exhibition took place on both sides of the entrances to the Village Monde, highlighting portraits of emblematic figures involved in the fight for civil rights.

During these various events, United Souls was able to meet new clients by offering our creations at festivals, thus allowing the movement of figures of struggle in the public space and encouraging an exchange to challenge citizens from all walks of life for a better life together.

On the road to 2024

The year 2023 was marked by significant collaborations and memorable exhibitions. Looking ahead, United Souls has big aspirations for 2024. We have the exciting project of offering our exhibitions at major cultural events on the African continent . We look forward to sharing more of our artistic and social commitment with an ever wider audience, while celebrating the cultural richness and struggles that have shaped our shared history.

Stay tuned for more details on our upcoming initiatives and events. Thank you for being part of this artistic and human adventure.