Madame Zo
Madame Zo
L’Eclair, 2015
Thread, cut newspaper, magnetic tape
229 x 192 x 1 cm
Courtesy of Fondation H, Antananarivo
Photo: Nicolas Brasseur, Adagp, Paris, 2023


Known as Madame Zo (Antananarivo, 1960–2020), Zoarinivo Razakatrimo was a textile artist. Her work is recognized for its use of a wide range of natural and artificial materials. Working within the tradition of lamba — a fabric made of wild silk or cotton — weaving techniques she incorporated unconventional materials into her creations, such as wood, spices, bean pods, medicinal plants, metals, newsprint, bones, headphones, pens, paper clips, phone cards, and notebook spirals. She participated in the Dak’Art Biennale, and in exhibitions at the National Museum of African Art (Washington) and the Musée du Quai Branly (Paris). She also held solo exhibitions at Fondation H in Antananarivo, including a retrospective featuring over 90 works spanning decades of artistic production.