Over the past two weeks, visitors passing through Schiedam may have noticed an intriguing presence inside our gallery: a large wooden pyramid occupying the centre of the space. Standing tall at OpenArtExchange, this striking installation by French-Togolese artist Yao Metsoko forms one of the highlights of our exhibition House of the Future III – Fertile Grounds.
Composed of seventy-four customised bottles, a central jar and a wooden frame, La Pyramide de la Vie (Pyramid of Life) offers a three-dimensional meditation on the origins, mysteries, and structures of life itself.
Correspondance - La Nature III, Yao Metsoko, 2023, Acrylic on Canvas, 100x100cm
Bridges Between Worlds: The Art of Yao Metsoko
Born in Togo in 1965 and now based in France, Yao Metsoko has been fascinated since a young age by lines, colours, and shapes. Encouraged by his mother, he first explored art through the careful of reproduction of religious imagery. Over time, his practice expanded into a rich symbolic visual language, shaped by his heritage, its myths and cosmogonies, and a continuous dialogue with contemporary life.
Metsoko sees his work as a meeting point betweenworlds: past and present, visible and invisible, living and inanimate. His paintings bring together elements that while appearing distant, find resonance through the artist's intuition and spirit. His Correspondance (Correspondence) series reflects this vision vividly: animals, objects, and abstract forms intertwine in colourful compositions where each element carries symbolic weight. Animals appear as totemic guides, each representing a quality or essence to draw inspiration from. Birds, for example, embody self-belief and the need for introspection.
Pyramide de la Vie: A Structure of Life
With Pyramide de la Vie, Metsoko extends his exploration of symbolism into physical space. Having started with painting, he turned to sculpture and installation to move beyond the limitations of the defined boundaries of the canvas, working instead with depth, form, andmaterial presence. For Metsoko, installations are a way to fully inhabit and structure space and matter, creating new interactions with the viewer.
As in his paintings, each component of the piece is chosen with intention. At its core is a continuous search to build bridges between opposites, the visible and invisible, the material and the spiritual, while embracing the mystery that lies between them. An overarching principle is the belief that spirituality can elevate society and infuse our relationships with new ethical values. With its monumental presence, the installation invites us to pause, admire the mysteries of life, and consider spirituality as a means of forming stronger and more equitable bonds, offering a moment of reflection far removed from the fast-paced, often alienating rhythms of urban life.
The instantly recognisable pyramidal form resonates across cultures. For Metsoko, it evokes ancient architectural mastery and human ingenuity, the construction of the pyramids remaining a subject of fascination. Beyond these associations, the pyramid suggests a layered structure of existence. At its apex sits the Jarre Martricielle (Matrix Jar), the source of life:a symbolic vessel evoking the nurturing qualities of the womb. Elevated above the other elements, it embodies respect for life and hints at how vitality flows downward through the pyramid’s transparent planes. Yet, the nature of the pyramid is that it can be read from two angles. While life may trickle down from its highest point, the delicate balance at the top is also sustained by the forces rising from below. The fragile rests upon the collective, reminding us that unity is essential for life to continue.
Across the pyramid's three levels, seventy-four unique bottles are arranged in a careful composition. Their three distinct colours, black, white, and red, echo different levels of consciousness. The black bottles nearest the top, surrounding the jar, symbolise the void from which life emerges. Each bottle is a distinct creation: round or rectangular, adorned with ropes, flowers, sticks or organic shapes. They celebrate the diversity of our world .For Metsoko, this multiplicity is not fragmentation but richness: a mosaic of beings forming a harmonious whole. Positioned in relation to one another, the bottles engage in a silent dialogue, seeking balance and connection.
A Contemporary Reflection on Life and Unity
While deeply rooted in his cultural heritage and African cosmonogy, Yao Metsoko's works offers universal reflections on life, human aspirations, and shared values. Pyramide de la Vie captures this beautifully. It invites us to consider the origins of the universe, the structures of our societies, and the celebration of life in all its forms.
At a time when inequalities grow and individuals seem increasingly divided, Metsoko proposes a vision that celebrates diversity while affirming our interconnectedness. Beyond human communities, his fascination for the natural world, its richness, resilience and inspiring power, invites us to reflect on whether the diversity present in his bottles may also echo the biodiversity of our planet. Perhaps we are called not only to live harmoniously within one another, but also with the wider natural world, in a delicate balance between beings, spirits, and the invisible forces shaping our existence
With a profound fascination for life and its mysteries, Metsoko asks whether spirituality and the unknown might guide us toward better ways of living together. His work encourages introspection and a return to fundamental values in the face of contemporary concerns. It invites us to pause, appreciate the beauty life's mystery, and reconnect with our roots and ancient forms of wisdom.
What can we learn from our origins? From the structures and rhythms through which life unfolds? These are the questions at the heart of our exhibition House of the Future III – Fertile Grounds, on view until 20 December 2025. Come experience the quiet power of Pyramide de la Vie.