Aboudia

This is the first monograph on Aboudia, an internationally acclaimed Ivorian-American contemporary artist born in 1983. He takes his inspiration from the street culture of his hometown, Abidjan, in Ivory Coast, and is known for heavily layered, brutally energetic paintings that pair innocence and spontaneity with a dark interior world.

Since the Ivorian civil wars (2004 to 2011), armed soldiers and ominous skulls have haunted his urban landscapes, and the people in them are hemmed in by danger. His recent work still deals with the hardships of everyday life and the social inequalities of Ivorian society.

Aboudia draws on characters from his own neighborhood and on contemporary Nouchi culture and language, showing the vitality and resilience of Abidjan's residents. His paintings contain a great deal of detail that moves in and out of focus and often shows itself only after repeated viewings. They work as a melting pot of references, honoring traditional arts and spirituality while also including imagery from contemporary West African culture.

The text is by Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi.