Amant presents the first institutional solo exhibition in the US by Paris-based artist Christelle Oyiri. Belief May Vary explores how belief systems are formed under conditions of rupture rather than continuity. The exhibition looks at faith not as a stable inheritance, but as something rebuilt, patched, and reconfigured in response to historical displacement, secular pressure, and spiritual contradiction.

Oyiri’s research focuses on the tones, textures, and visual vernacular of music, popular cultures, and visual arts, both within and beyond the African diaspora. The centerpiece of the exhibition at Amant is the newly commissioned video work Hauntology of an OG (2025). Its protagonist is the Memphis Pyramid, a modern capitalist landmark in Tennessee that stands as a striking example of a sacred symbol’s commodification, repurposing ancient Egyptian spiritual and necrological imagery. Originally designed to evoke Egypt’s pyramids—structures linked to death, the afterlife, and transcendent meaning—the Memphis Pyramid served as a sports venue until 2007 before reopening as a transformed commercial space in 2015, hosting a Bass Pro Shop and entertainment venues.

The lighting and texture of Hauntology of an OG evoke the lo-fi aesthetic that characterizes much of Memphis rap production, while the heavily synth-driven soundtrack incorporates a sample from Princess Loko, one of the city’s iconic underground voices.

The video, narrated by rapper and poet Darius Phatmak Clayton, interweaves multiple references to the city’s history, such as the church where Martin Luther King made his final speech and that was consumed by a fire in 2025. Within the exhibition, Oyiri’s new film alternates with a soundtrack from Klein’s Marks of Worship (2016): a voice prays in a Nigerian accent, its intonation bending the language into something older than words; a rhythm of devotion and endurance.

Drawing from personal lineage, diasporic religious practices, and research developed through Hauntology of an OG, the sculptures and bas-reliefs in this exhibition translate belief into material terms: industrial, altered, and hybrid. Faith here is not presented as doctrine, but as a structure that persists despite instability, operating without guarantees, instructions, or a single origin.

Hauntology of an OG has been commissioned by Amant, Brooklyn, NY, and LAS Art Foundation, Berlin with support by Pinault Collection, Paris. Belief May Vary has received additional support from Étant donnés, the visual arts program of Villa Albertine, the French Institute for Culture and Education in the United States, and Albertine Foundation.