Abdoulaye Diarrassouba, also known as Aboudia, is an American-Ivorian
contemporary art
Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic com ...
ist based in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, New York, and who works from his studios in
Abidjan
Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N’ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country, ...
and
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. He was born on October 21, 1983, in
Côte d'Ivoire
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
, and graduated from the School of Applied Arts in
Bingerville
Bingerville is a town in south-eastern Ivory Coast. It is a suburb of Abidjan and is one of four sub-prefectures of Abidjan Autonomous District. Bingerville is also a commune. The town is located about 10 kilometres east of Abidjan and lies on th ...
in 2003. In 2005, he graduated from the Institut des Arts in Abidjan. He first reached an international audience during the siege of Abidjan in 2011, when the conflict came close to his studio. Some of his works has been exhibited in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
,
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
, and Art Central in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
. He has also done various solo shows with galleries in New York,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
,
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
,
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
and more. In 2012, he collaborated with Ivorian artist Frédéric Bruly Bouabré on producing a unique series of paintings exhibited in
Abidjan
Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N’ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country, ...
. In 2017 Abdoulaye collaborated with British internationally acclaimed painter Christian Furr, producing works between New York, London and Abidjan.
Career
Since the age of 15, Abdoulaye has been on his own as an
artist
An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...
. He was kicked out of his childhood home by his father once it was known that Abdoulaye wanted to become an artist. His mother gave him the last of his savings to complete a scholarship. While being at the top of his class, he slept in the classroom when everyone else would leave for the day.
Throughout 2007 and 2008 Aboudia marched around Bingerville and the centre of Abidjan, where the galleries were located. And also Ivorian gallery owners turn him away and later on mocked his style of painting. After some time, people began to buy Aboudia work, mostly ambassadors and gallery owners in other countries.
In December 2010,
Alassane Ouattara
Alassane Dramane Ouattara (; ; born 1 January 1942) is an Ivorian politician who has been President of Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) since 2010. An economist by profession, Ouattara worked for the International Monetary Fund (IMF)Laurent Gbagbo
Koudou Laurent Gbagbo , FPI website . (
In 2012 and 2014, Abdoulaye's work was exhibited in the
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
, at the Galerie Cécile Fakhoury in Abidjan, as well as Europe and North America, and bought by influential contemporary art collectors including
Charles Saatchi
Charles Saatchi (; ar, تشارلز ساعتجي; born 9 June 1943) is an Iraqi-British businessman and the co-founder, with his brother Maurice, of advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi. The brothers led the business – the world's largest a ...
,
Jean Pigozzi
Jean "Johnny" Pigozzi (born 1952), heir to the CEO of the automobile brand Simca, is an art collector, photographer, fashion designer and . He lives in Geneva.
Biography
Pigozzi is a "French-born Italian". He was born in Paris in 1952 and is ...
and
Frank Cohen
Frank Cohen (born 15 October 1943) is a British businessman and art collector. He is frequently referred to as "the Saatchi of the North", in reference to the more famous art dealer Charles Saatchi.
He was born and raised in Manchester, where ...
. Aboudia is influenced by a synthesis of American
avant-garde
The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...
traditions and the
graffiti
Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...
in the communities where he lives. Many in the art world relate his work to
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat (; December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was an American artist who rose to success during the 1980s as part of the Neo-expressionism movement.
Basquiat first achieved fame as part of the graffiti duo SAMO, alongside Al ...
, who was the first black American who gained fame for his contemporary paintings with African characteristics. Basquiat combined African and Afro-American culture and style in his work, which may seem an irritating and predictable way to establish the value of a young painter's work. This fusion of culture and style can be seen in Abdouia's work as well. Abdouia's work uses both indirect and direct references to African and Western styles. In fact, the riots that followed the disputed Ivorian presidential election in late 2010 greatly influenced Aboudia's painting. He refuses to be categorized as a 'war painter'.
While some artists chose to flee the civil war, Aboudia decided to stay and continue working despite the danger. He worked in an artist's studio right next to the Golf Hotel uattara's headquarters during the post-electoral crisis he could hear the bullets zipping through the air while he painted. When the shooting got too heavy, he hid in the cellar and tried to imagine what was going on. As soon as things calmed down he would go back upstairs and paint everything he had in mind. Whenever he was able to go outside, he would paint everything he saw as soon as he returned. Some of his paintings were also inspired by footages he saw on the news or the internet. His body of work, which he describes as "nouchi", is a tribute to the essence of dreams and language. He uses materials within easy reach to express the maximum depth of content with a minimum of resources. Local galleries refused to represent his works. Most of his work, which is seen as too avant-garde for local Ivorian tastes, is bought by foreigners. The disapproval from his people did not swerve his decision to depict this national crisis in his paintings. "As an artist, my contribution is to tell our story for the next generation. Writers will write, singers will sing. I paint," Aboudia said After the war broke out, the themes of his painting changed. His goal was to create a record of Côte d'Ivoire's recent history. Now, he goes back to his original themes which are childhood in the streets, poorness, and child soldiers.
Style
Aboudia depicts fevered landscapes and street scenes populated by childlike figures in his graffiti like style. "Assassin" powerfully demonstrates Aboudia's trademark "nouchi" style. Rendered in oil sticks, acrylics and collage, his works are noted for brutal lines of color applied to heavily layered background collages, details of newspaper and magazine cutouts ingeniously encircled by drawings fall in and out of focus. The resulting composition suggests current events cohering through the imagination into a provocative vision.
Aboudia's multi-layered paintings offer a simultaneity of images and meanings that conduct a continuous discourse with each other and with the viewer. The surfaces deploy fragments, cuttings, from bits of comic strips, magazine ads, newspaper images, set into the paintings' overall compositions so as to suggest current events cohering through the imagination into a troubled and troubling vision.
" My style shifted from one that was classic and academic in nature, as well as highly influence by the African culture and decoration, into one increasingly influence by wall scribbles."
His main subject was mural art. There would be simple drawings on the walls, done by the youth using charcoal, mostly of cars, televisions, status symbols, statements and saying; children are seen as the weakest, not taken seriously and left alone in the world.
* "Djoly du Mogoba" – Jack Bell Gallery, London, UK.
2017
* "Talking Faces" – Piasa, Paris, France
* "Gawa Dangoro" – Jack Bell Gallery – London, UK.
2016
* "I have a dream" – OOA Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
* "Môgô Dynasty" – Cécile Fakhoury Gallery, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
* "Bombe fantôme" – Jack Bell Gallery, London, UK
* "Talking heads" – Ethan Cohen Gallery, New York, USA
* "Chap Chap" – Art Twenty One, Lagos, Nigeria
2015
* "Sossoroh urbain" – Jack Bell Gallery, London, UK
2014
* "Nouchi City" – Cécile Fakhoury Gallery, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
* "African Dawn , ABOUDIA" – Ethan Cohen Gallery, New York, USA
* "Trin Trin Ba-By" – Jack Bell Gallery, London, UK
2013
* "Quitte le pouvoir: New Paintings by Aboudia" – Jack Bell Gallery, London, UK
2012
* «Aujourd'hui, je travaille avec mon petit-fils Aboudia » duo show with Frederic Bruly Bouabre – Cécile Fakhoury Gallery, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
2011
* "Travaux récents" – Le Lab 2.0 Gallery, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
* Goethe-Institut, Johannesburg, South Africa
* "The Battle For Abidjan" – Jack Bell Gallery, London, UK
2009
* Centre Culturel Français, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
* Centre Culturel Français, Conakry, Guinea
Group
2018
* "Angels" – OOA Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
* Art X – OOA Gallery, Lagos, Nigeria
* "Rassemblement" – Jack Bell Gallery, London, UK
* 1:54 – Cécile Fakhoury Gallery, Marrakech, Morocco
2017
* "Summer Exhibition" –
Royal Academy of Arts
The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purpo ...
, London, UK
* "Regarding Africa: Contemporary Art and Afro-Futurism" –
Tel Aviv Museum of Art
Tel Aviv Museum of Art ( he, מוזיאון תל אביב לאמנות ''Muzeon Tel Aviv Leomanut'') is an art museum in Tel Aviv, Israel. The museum is dedicated to the preservation and display of modern and contemporary art from Israel and aroun ...
, Israël
* "AKAA" – OOA Gallery, Paris, France
* Salon Zürcher – OOA Gallery, Paris, France
2016
* 1:54 – Cécile Fakhoury Gallery, London, UK
* "Dakar-Martigny : Hommage à la Biennale d'Art contemporain" – Martigny, Switzerland
2015
* 1:54 – Cécile Fakhoury Gallery, Pioneer Works, Brooklyn, USA
* "Pangaea II: New Art From Africa And Latin America" –
Saatchi Gallery
The Saatchi Gallery is a London gallery for contemporary art and an independent charity opened by Charles Saatchi in 1985. Exhibitions which drew upon the collection of Charles Saatchi, starting with US artists and minimalism, moving to the D ...
, London, UK
* "Studio Lumiere" – Jack Bell Gallery, London, UK
2014
* Sphères #7, Continua Gallery, Les Moulins, France
* 1:54 – Cécile Fakhoury Gallery,
Somerset House
Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...
, London, UK
* Group Show Galerie Cécile Fakhoury, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
* "Pangaea: New Art From Africa And Latin America" –
Saatchi Gallery
The Saatchi Gallery is a London gallery for contemporary art and an independent charity opened by Charles Saatchi in 1985. Exhibitions which drew upon the collection of Charles Saatchi, starting with US artists and minimalism, moving to the D ...
, London, UK
* Dak'Art Off – Group Show Cécile Fakhoury Gallery, La Fondation Total, Dakar, Senegal
* "Aujourd'hui je travaille avec mon petit fils Aboudia" (in collaboration with Frédéric Bruly Bouabré) – Cécile Fakhoury Gallery, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
* Dak'Art Off –
Eiffage
Eiffage S.A. is a French civil engineering construction company. it was the third largest company of its type in France, and the fifth largest in Europe.
History
The company was formed in 1992 through the merger of several long standing compani ...
, Dakar, Senegal
2011
* Amani – Abidjan, Ivory Coast
* Salon International des Arts Plastiques – Abidjan, Ivory Coast
* "Revue de l'Art Moderne et Contemporain" – Rotonde des Arts, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
* "Les Fantômes" – Jack Bell Gallery, London, UK
2010
* "Arkadi, 13th edition" – Centre culturel français, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
* "Lion's Art" – Abidjan, Ivory Coast
* "Amis des arts, 6th editiom" – BICICI Bank, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
* "50e Journée de célébration de l'indépendance de la Côte d'Ivoire", Ivory Coast
2009
* "Pinceaux d'Afrique" – Stockholm, Sweden
* Arkadi, 12th edition, Centre Culturel Français, Abidjan, Ivory Coast