The Guru. Ndayé Kouagou. 05 april – 28 august 2023. Fondation Louis Vuitton. Paris – France.

Ndayé Kouagou presents a video installation, “The Guru”. In this eye-opening video installation, the writer, performer and video artist is centre stage, performing a narrative inspired by those so often heard from mentors and other neo-gurus who use social networks to present self-help tips and behavioural techniques for achieving a successful life. But unlike those “guru-influencers,” the artist gives us neither tools nor solutions.

Simulating a dialogue that swings from listening to challenging, Ndayé Kouagou, in a life-sized projected silhouette, engages the visitor in a quite personal – and often humorous – conversation. His impeccably attired, femininely voiced character pushes us to analyse ourselves: Do we expect less or more? Are we trying to give or take? Is this about you or us?

Ndayé Kouagou is a French artist who lives and works in Paris. He is represented by the Nir Altman Galerie in Munich. His work, from performance to video, is based primarily on the texts he writes himself. These present as flights of philosophical conjecture, sometimes powerful, other times muddled, often intending to directly challenge the audience.