BIENNALE Ivorian artists showcase their work to the world

CHRISTINE XUEREB SEIDU founded Christine X Art Gallery in 2004 after a university degree in Art History and Anthropology. She has returned to Malta after a year in Ghana where she explored African art and culture.

Armand Boua, Les môgôs de Poy #1, mixed media on canvas, 100 x 100 cm, 2019. Photo: Issam Zejly

Aboudia (Abdoulaye Diarrassouba), represented by Cecile Fakhoury, is one of the artists representing Ivory Coast at this year’s Venice Biennale. He’s perhaps the most widely known artists coming from this recently war-torn country. Inspired by the street culture of Abidjan, his multi-layered violent expressionistic figurative artwork portrays the trauma faced by Ivorians a decade ago as well referencing forms of Vodou. At the national pavilion named ‘The Dreams of a Story’’ at Magazzino del Sale 3, Dorsoduro 264, he is joined by artists Armand Boua, the late forefather of contemporary African art Frederic Bruly Bouabre, Yeanzi (Saint-Etienne Yeanzi), Laetita Ky and Aron Demetz. Collectively they interpret and represent the socio-economic realities and dreams of the future in Ivory Coast. Armand Boua’s paint and tar paintings and the space created by their removal through scratching is his response to the inhumane treatment of many whilst Laetitia Ky denounced the modern definitions of the contemporary human condition through her hair sculptures. Yeanzi’s lightboxes depicting icons and symbols are here being transformed from past experiences into powerful expressions for the future. Aron Demetz’s work bring us a more surrealistic dream form through sculptures with fictional and mysterious characters.

Many were the Ivorian artists who have had their fair share of exposure in the international contemporary art world. These include Ananias Leki Dago, Franck Fanny, Paul Sika, Jems Robert Koko Bi and Kagnedjatou Joachim Silue as well as painters Ernest Duku, Ouattara Watts, Tamsir Dia.

Unless you’re heading to Venice anytime until 10th September this year where you could stop by the Ivorian pavilion at Magazzino del Sale 3, Dorsoduro 264, it’ll probably be worth visiting the Ivory Coast’s gallery Cecile Fakhoury with its current exhibition ‘About Now #2- Abidjan: Emerging Artists From Africa and Beyond’ also ending on 10th September. This will be followed by two solo shows- the first is that of artist Thibaut Bouedjoro-Camus with his first solo in Abidjan ‘Bonne Nouvelle’ from the 22nd September to the 27th November and the second is the second solo show of Beninese Romeo Mivekannin in Abidjan from the 23rd September to the 26th November 2022. LouiSimone Guirandou is one of the galleries in the line up of galleries exhibiting at the 10th edition of the 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London mid-October. We can’t wait to see which Ivorian artists they, as well as the other African art galleries present, will have exhibiting.