Jean-Baptiste Djéka
For dextrous Côte d'Ivoire painter and sculptor Jean-Baptiste Djéka Kouadio, the influence of West African Akan culture on his work is an intense and tangible expression of how the matrilineal tradition has shaped his life and indeed his view of the world. The Akan culture arose in the 13th century and has played an enormous role in craft and artistic development in West Africa and both its aesthetic and inherited belief system play a significant role in many West Africans’ and certainly in this artist’s life.
Using a combination of techniques and visual cues, from brushwork to scarification and bemasked figures and a selection of materials including acrylic resin, oil, natural pigment and collage, Djéka is able to convey the complexity of his subject matter and the weight and narrative of generations past, a subject close to his heart. At the same time he offers a permanent reflection and a challenge to the viewer regarding the meaning and wonder of traditional symbolism in a modern world. Central to Djéka’s artistic premise is what he sees as an inevitable meeting point and mutation of cultures with the result that a visceral sense of shared humanity emanates from each and every potent artwork.
Country • IVORY COAST
Medium • Acrylic on canvas
First exhibition with christopher moller gallery • 2022
EXPLORE HIS WORK
Previous exhibitions by JEAN-BAPTISTE DJéKA
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023
LES AMAZONES, Christopher Moller Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa.
2018
GALLERY AMANI, Les différents noms de Dieu, Abidjan/Ivory Coast
2017
GALLERY AMANI, Les différents noms de Dieu, Abidjan/Ivory Coast GALLERY HOUKAMI, Un recours aux sources pour une introspection vraie, Abidjan/Ivory Coast
2015
CIEL OUVERT, La vérité du mensonge de nos ancêtre, Chappes/France
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2022
AUTUMN IS FRESH, Christopher Moller Gallery, Cape Town, (June) – Group exhibition.
INVESTEC CAPE TOWN ART FAIR, Christopher Moller Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa.
2021
DJENART, Abidjan/Ivory Coast.
CENTRE KAOLACK, Dakar/Senegal ROTONDE DES ARTS, Abidjan/Ivory Coast.
VILLA SOPIA, Abidjan/Ivory Coast.
ABIDJAN ART FAIR, Abidjan/Ivory Coast.
MUSÉE DES CULTURES CONTEMPORAINES A. T., Abidjan/Ivory Coast
2020
GALLERY AMANI, PRÊTE MOI TON RÊVE, Abidjan/Ivory Coast
2019
ODA GALLERY, ART MADRID’ 19, Madrid/Spain
2018
ODA GALLERY, Franschhoek/South Africa
GOETHE-INSTITUT, Abidjan/Ivory Coast
AGADIR ART FAIR, Casablanca/Morocco.
INSTITUT GOETHE, Abidjan/Ivory Coast
LES GRANDES CIMAISES, Abidjan/Ivory Coast
ABIDJAN ART FAIR, Abidjan/Ivory Coast
2017
LE CENTRE, Cotonou/Bénin
UNE TOILE POUR SAUVER L’ENFANT, Abidjan/Ivory Coast
MUSÉE D’ART CONTEMPORAIN DE COCODY, Abidjan/Ivory Coast
BICICI ART WASH, Abidjan/Ivory Coast
2016
MASA, Abidjan/Ivory Coast
OFF DAK’ ART, Dakar/Senegal
2013
JACK BELL GALLERY, London/England
SERENGETI GALLERY, Washington
DC/USA FESPACO, Ouagadougou/Burkina Faso
2012
SALON INTERNATIONAL DES ARTS PLASTIQUES D’ABIDJAN (SIAPA), Abidjan/Ivory Coast
2008
PALAIS DE LA CULTURE, Abidjan/Ivory Coast
2007
GALLERY LE LABE, Abidjan/Ivory Coast
2006
ART’ IVOIRE, Abidjan/Ivory Coast
2004
MUSÉE DES CIVILISATIONS DE CÔTE D’IVOIRE, Abidjan/Ivory Coast