L’Akwaba 2020

Curator: Aboudia's "L’Akwaba," created in 2020, immediately bursts forth with its chaotic energy. What’s your initial take? Editor: Overwhelming, in a vibrant way. The frenetic brushstrokes and the clashing colours create a disorienting yet captivating surface. It’s all organized chaos. Curator: Absolutely. Aboudia is known for this kind of organized chaos, reflecting the energy and resilience of children living in urban environments in Côte d'Ivoire. Think about the social context—he’s giving voice to a generation growing up amidst political instability. Editor: I see how the composition evokes that sense of urban density. It's as though figures are piled one atop another, jostling for space within the picture plane. It’s definitely expressionistic, perhaps leaning towards a kind of contemporary fauvism. Curator: And the figures themselves, those stark, almost haunting faces staring back at us, are so indicative of a society fractured, perhaps even traumatized by conflict. But also a commentary on global inequality. Editor: It's intriguing how he manages to combine these serious themes with such playful, almost childlike mark-making. The crude lines, bold colors... they shouldn’t work together, and yet they create something profoundly evocative. The heavy lines serve to abstract the subjects while simultaneously lending presence to them through emphasis. Curator: He incorporates elements of graffiti art, too. That's an integral part of his artistic language, referencing the urban landscapes and the visual culture these children inhabit daily. Editor: Look at how Aboudia layers the paint. He’s clearly not trying to create illusionistic space. He favors flattening and distortion. Do you think the rough execution is to purposefully undermine notions of beauty? Curator: I believe that instead, beauty resides in a different sphere within Aboudia's canvas. It exists in representing voices that are otherwise muted or overlooked. "L’Akwaba" offers, in its own chaotic yet coherent way, a point of entry to acknowledge societal tensions. Editor: Ultimately, I feel "L’Akwaba" demands attention, not just to its formal qualities but also to the story it conveys so vividly. Curator: It truly encourages a critical engagement with global social dynamics and, most crucially, invites us to engage with it humanely.