With an increasingly innovative artistic approach, contemporary African artists are progressively unveiling new, striking and conceptual art. Until March 30, 2024, CHRISTOPHE PERSON Gallery will be the privileged witness to this blossoming of African artistic creativity through the exhibition “Le Chaos, atelier de Dieu“, an exclusive collective presentation by Fally Sène Sow and Paul Ndema. This exhibition will highlight the work of these two contemporary artists, who are exploring a new approach to African painting, opening a new chapter in the history of African art on the bangs of current trends.
In “Le Chaos, atelier de Dieu“, Fally Sène Sow develops a figurative style that integrates still life with the iconography of the continent, while Paul Ndema proposes a conceptual perspective on painting, drawing inspiration from reality while remaining rooted in abstraction. In an attempt to renew African painting, Fally Sène Sow and Paul Ndema combine canvas and material, demonstrating their total immersion in their work.
Born in Senegal in 1989, Fally Sène Sow is a visual artist living and working in Dakar. His artistic journey began in Colobane, a Senegalese market whose effervescence is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for the artist. He observes, photographs, cuts, crumples and recomposes various materials to create works that reflect the region, an amalgam of active, engaging energy. His creations, collages adorned with paint, visually enrich the works and offer a new perspective on the cycle of life.
In “Le Chaos, atelier de Dieu“, the skulls present in the works go beyond mere reminders of human mortality, symbolizing instead the fertility of nourishing compost engendering regeneration. New order emerges from chaos. Through his creations, composed of various materials such as pigments, filasse, plastic and elements taken from the ground, the artist communicates a spiritual vision in which death is perceived as the prelude to new life.
A Ugandan artist born in 1979 and living in Kampala, Paul Ndema offers an artistic critique of the colonialist legacy, as well as of contemporary political and social issues in Uganda. He also addresses notions of spirituality and myth in East Africa, constructing a pop and spiritual iconography of gods and saints specific to this region of the continent. Known for his figure paintings on canvas, the Ugandan artist adopts a different style for the ” Le Chaos, atelier de Dieu ” exhibition, featuring mats with shimmering patterns and colors.
Introduced by Arab traders before European colonization, these mats today have a variety of uses in the countries of the East African region. From common models for everyday use, to elaborate designs for distinguished guests or places of prayer, to those reserved for special occasions, these traditional accessories are relics steeped in history. Paul Ndema perceives this historical richness and wants these mats to become the narrators of unique stories through his paintings. He believes that these mats could tell the story of their owners’ lives in an abstract and delicate way, reflecting the personality of each individual.
While Fally Sène Sow seeks to convey universal messages about the life that emerges from the cracked earth, creating a flamboyant ecosystem like a Garden of Eden before the arrival of mankind, Paul Ndema reveals himself as a storytelling artist, offering complex and singular narratives through his mat paintings, leaving them open to interpretation by the public and merging the owner’s personality with his art.
“Le Chaos, atelier de Dieu” offers a fascinating insight into the artistic universe of Fally Sène Sow and Paul Ndema, two contemporary talents who are pushing the boundaries of African painting. Leur approche novatrice et leur utilisation audacieuse de matériaux divers témoignent d’une profonde réflexion sur la vie, la mort, la spiritualité et l’héritage culturel. Through works rich in symbolism and color, these artists invite us to explore the many facets of African art and let ourselves be carried away by the magic of their creativity.
