Nouchi Graffiti; Les Coquins et Leur Chien 2021

Curator: Aboudia’s mixed media piece, “Nouchi Graffiti; Les Coquins et Leur Chien," completed in 2021, certainly makes an immediate impression. Editor: Indeed. Visually, it feels like organized chaos. A whirlwind of blues, greens, and reds battling for dominance, contained by bold, dark outlines. Curator: Aboudia's distinctive visual language pulls deeply from the urban tapestry of Abidjan, reflecting what he calls 'Nouchi', a specific Ivorian subculture marked by resilience. His art serves as a form of cultural memory, doesn't it? Editor: Undeniably so. We can observe here the artist's recurring visual symbols -- are those simplified figures evocative of children surrounded by masks, hinting at hidden stories or identities, rendered via mixed media? The linear expression also carries meaning -- would you say it's a form of personal mythology building and repetition for emphasis, Curator? Curator: Precisely, I interpret it as a powerful symbol for vulnerability amid societal forces. Each abstracted character carries traces of traditional iconography adapted to a contemporary reality, a dialogue of survival. What do you suppose is the role of repetition here, from your perspective? Editor: Through repeating abstracted motifs, figures start becoming integrated into a cohesive visual system—akin to what some linguists define as syntax. In essence, it facilitates interpreting cultural artifacts through recurring visual patterns. The artist appears to leverage color in the role of emphasizing form, using it as an intrinsic tool. Curator: It reminds me of folk art traditions, the transmission of stories and values through accessible visual narratives, echoing voices otherwise unheard. The composition itself seems crowded, possibly a conscious effort to mirror urban intensity and density? Editor: Agreed, and through it we get a reflection on form and color serving deeper narrative and emotional purposes. The composition indeed reinforces visual and cultural information layering; almost as if different time periods collapsed onto a single picture. Curator: Ultimately, Aboudia presents us with more than just a visual experience, inviting contemplation on community, resilience, and the ongoing redefinition of identity within evolving social spaces. Editor: This artwork certainly transcends stylistic classification, by offering complex semiotic possibilities and reinforcing the symbolic agency in everyday experiences and communal existence.