The artwork features a striking juxtaposition of a detailed map of Africa overlaid with portraits of diverse African individuals. The muted color palette and textured surface create a sense of gritty realism. The prominent placement of the human faces suggests a focus on the people and their stories, rather than just the geographical landscape. The artwork appears to be making a statement about the complex histories and diverse cultures of the African continent. This thought-provoking piece likely reflects the artist's intention to shed light on the human experience within the context of colonialism and globalization. ...
Jess Atieno maintains a practice informed by inquiries on place, home and dispossession through the lens of the postcolonial. Atieno sees herself as carrying inscriptions of a colonial past. Studying as an adult in the US made her increasingly unable to situate herself in a static reality of belonging.
With this inspiration, Atieno time travels into history through its material remains: historical photographs, maps and documents, employing them in prints, installations and tapestry. She turns to the idea of place as the transformative site of hybridity that offers alternative strategies for and models of representation within the post-colonial. ...
Galerie Cecile Fakhoury opened its doors in Abidjan, Ivory Coast in September 2012. In May 2018, the gallery inaugurated its second space in Dakar, Senegal and a showroom in Paris, France. Shortly after, in March 2020, a new project space dedicated to emerging artists from Africa opened in Abidjan. In October 2021, Galerie Cecile Fakhoury inaugurated another gallery, opening in the 8th arrondissement of Paris on Avenue Matignon. The gallery promotes contemporary art from Africa and the Diaspora by providing visibility to the artistic diversity and creative spirit from the continent. Through its programming of solo and group exhibitions, participation in international art fairs, biennales, and collaboration with international galleries, Cecile Fakhoury is a leading force putting contemporary African art on the global map. The artists represented by the gallery are distinguished by their cultural identities and stories, they create a new language that crosses geographical boundaries and familiarities. They are observers of the world they live in, critics of society, and committed to their positions living within complex histories. In turn, they ask us to reconsider our own relation to the world. ...
