From 20th of April, Gallery 208 will be exhibiting four artists from the African art scene during “Couleurs d’Alkebulan” exhibition. This continent, bubbling with creativity, is seeing the emergence of talented artists who tend to be visible and recognized throughout the world.
Coming from five different regions of the continent, the work of artists Reggie Khumalo, M’Barek Bouhchichi, Armand Boua and Emmanuel Kwaku Yaro testifies to the diversity of the African art scene, which seems impossible to describe as “African Art”. However, each of their works echo, respond and resonate together.
Through their artistic approach, they all defend a fairer, more egalitarian society and convey humanist values. Originating from Morocco, South Africa, Ivory Coast and Ghana, they are all inspired by the singular context of their country and the society in which they live. They welcome us into their daily lives and make visible the people around them, whether they belong to their community, their neighbourhood or their society. Through their colourful works, each of the artists gives us a part of their identity and grants us a moment of life.
The works of the young artists, Reggie Khumalo and Emmanuel Kwaku Yaro, celebrate the frequently prejudiced Ghanaian and South African people respectively. They depict in colour a modern and joyful youth. Boua and M’Barek highlight invisible and oppressed existences. M’Barek exposes the discrimination suffered by the black community in Morocco, Boua exposes the life paths of street children in Abidjan. The technique of Boua and Yaro arouses our curiosity, they both use recycled objects. Traditional Ghanaian carpets become the support for Yaro’s paintings; as for Boua, he re-uses in his works “everything that comes to hand”: newspapers, magazines, buttons, cardboard boxes…. They make colour act and react, the key to understanding and witnessing the vivacity of their discourse. This colour captivates us and raises our awareness.
