Ethan Cohen Gallery at the KuBe Art Center is pleased to present Africa Africa, a group exhibition bringing together historical African masterpieces from Ethan Cohen’s collection and contemporary works by Aboudia, Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, Innocent Nkurunziza, Armand Boua, Terrence Musekiwa, Gonçalo Mabunda, Catheris Mondombo, Tyrone Mitchell, Jeffrey Spencer Hargrave, and Ray Arcadio.
Spanning generations and distinct cultural traditions, Africa Africa offers a view into the richness, innovation, and diversity of artistic expression across the African continent, and the broader diaspora. Historic works are presented alongside paintings, drawings, sculpture, and mixed-media works by artists whose practices engage with questions of memory, spirituality, identity, and the changing conditions of everyday life.
Material and transformation connect many of these practices. Aboudia and Armand Boua draw upon the streets of Abidjan, developing expressive visual languages that reflect the lives of those who inhabit them. Innocent Nkurunziza incorporates earth and natural materials into his work, while Catheris Mondombo’s use of salvaged tarpaulins carries traces of life in Kinshasa.