Porous Grounds, Sacred Codes @ Marres, House for Contemporary Culture: Eva Diallo

Porous Grounds, Sacred Codes is a large-scale exhibition project that takes you on a powerful and inspiring journey through themes of collectivity, diaspora, and cultural identity. The exhibition opens on 20 December, 2025, and will occupy the entire house of Marres.

Porous Grounds, Sacred Codes is being developed in close collaboration with the renowned Senegalese art institute RAW Material Company (Dakar). From their team, two curators have been appointed: Haja Fanta and Filly Gueye. In addition, RAW is organizing the preparatory online residency program and contributing to a thought-provoking public program filled with experts and in-depth conversations.

Collective process

Seven artists with roots in West Africa—Yacine Tilala Fall, Selly Raby Kane, Maguette Dieng, Ican Ramageli, Hamedine Kane, Eva Diallo, and Babacar “Doli” Traoré—are jointly creating a multi-sensory total installation incorporating sculpture, sound, textiles, video, and performance. While each artist maintains their unique signature, the extraordinary collective process of creation is central. The exhibition seeks to explore what it means to build an artistic universe together, in which every background and perspective is given space.

Right to Opacity

Inspired by the thinking of Anne Dufourmantelle and Édouard Glissant, the exhibition also explores the codes that remain hidden and the “right to opacity.” Nurturing the quiet grounds of culture supports the preservation of identity, while also serving as an act of respect and a source of intimacy.