Contemporary artist Ange-Frédéric Koffi is captivating audiences with his new exhibition “At the limit of dream” at the Nosbaum Reding art gallery in Luxembourg. Running until 18 November 2023, it offers an immersive visual experience through a multiple selection of artistic media.
Born in Korhogo, Ivory Coast, the Ivorian artist presents a different approach to art from that usually observed. On the whole, the works of art generally occupy an imposing place in order to highlight their ability to imbue places with their presence. On the other hand, Ange-Frédéric Koffi‘s creations are striking in their affective relevance. He uses photography as the main medium for his work. Navigating between sculptural installations, paintings and textiles, the artist manages to materialise a palpable tension between his images and his pieces of art, drawing the public into the heart of this silent joust.
The ‘At the limit of dream‘ exhibition follows in this same vein, immersing the art space in an atmosphere of delightful visual exploration that invites viewers to explore Ange-Frédéric Koffi’s exclusive artistic practice. The works on display are an invitation to dwell in the sensitive spaces created by the artist’s catchy poetic compositions.
His work is greatly influenced by the architectural and textile cultures of Ivory Coast, a local touch that lends authenticity to his works. The addition of geometric patterns on wallpaper, carpets and furniture creates constellations that set the work in a post-colonial history.
His visual language is characterised by a lucid recognition that the “field of transcendence is limited” (Césaire), and he proposes a reinterpretation of the media he uses in his creations. In keeping with this creative logic, Altération (2023), an inverted image of a car that Ange-Frédéric Koffi captures through his silver photographic lens, is presented here as a photographic print of the negative.
In interpreting another of the Ivorian artist’s creative processes, the photographic images are superimposed on textual references. Some of the visual experiences offered by the works invite the viewer to analyse the complex relationship between the material and immaterial worlds, blurring the boundaries between reality and the metaphysical. In the artist’s capable hands, the camera becomes a tool for capturing the disquieting strangeness of normally banal-looking objects, creating a sensibility that transcends the limits of visual perception.
In his exhibition ‘At the limit of dream‘, Ange-Frédéric Koffi creates an intrusive space that shatters and transcends the limits of the ordinary. In a parade of authentic pieces, he invites the public to explore through his photographic lens the breadth of his Ivorian artistic practice and the almost imperceptible link between images and objects.