Obodo describes his process as gestures of repairing wounds that history has left open and tying disparate parts together, both materially and symbolically. He believes that materials possess their own agency and capacity to speak, and by listening to his materials, Eva Obodo allows charcoal to narrate intertwined stories of exploitation, resilience, and hope.

193 Gallery has the pleasure to announce its third solo exhibition by Kenyan artist Thandiwe Muriu, whose work explores themes of identity, culture, and female empowerment. The exhibition Clouds Bring Blessings unveils a new body of work in which the artist opens a dialogue with her natural environment and affirms her ongoing commitment to exploring cultural heritage. For these portraits, Muriu produced her own textile patterns using the tie & dye technique. A short film, on view in the exhibition, captures this creative journey.

How should the child of a well-known artist develop their own artistic identity?

Les héritiers (“The heirs”) exhibition brings together four families from DR Congo in which the creative push-pull between allegiance and emancipation takes place.

Moke fils utilises the technique and themes of his father, the great Moke. Hilaire Tsham, the son of the ballpoint pen artist Raymond Tsham, gives a fresh twist on his father’s style by going for a Manga vibe. The Bodo siblings illustrate two pathways: Bodo fils continues Pierre Bodo’s dazzling surrealism, while Amani Bodo has a more narrative and contemporary vision. Finally, the photographer Gosette Lubondo has moved away from her father Gaston Diakota’s studio-based craft in order to explore memory and heritage.

Onverwacht kwam ik langs de Hoop Galerie en ging even binnen. De meeste werken waren van duo Tchinezan, oftewel de Ivoriaanse tweelingbroers Tchinan en Ezan in de expo La Force du Nombre.

Deze tentoonstelling is een viering van de diversiteit van vrouwelijkheid. Thandiwe Muriu’s werk focust zich op portretten die elk een unieke expressie van vrouwelijke identiteit vastleggen – veerkrachtig, vreugdevol, onvolmaakt, en krachtig. Door middel van kleur, symboliek en verhalende elementen herinnert de serie ons eraan dat er niet één manier is om vrouw te zijn; elke stem, elk pad en elke schoonheid staat volledig in haar eigen waarheid.

De 193 Gallery vertegenwoordigt Thandiwe Muriu en haar werken worden regelmatig tentoongesteld in verschillende contexten. Het is een belangrijke kunstenares, bekend om haar levendige esthetiek en het herinterpreteren van hedendaagse Afrikaanse portretfotografie.

Heel blij om eindelijk Saidou Dicko’s werken in het echt te zien. Met twee werken vertegenwoordigd.

In the haze of summer, the line blurs between journey and drift. The exhibition explores this state of reflection, of in-between: between two conversations, between night and day, between the place we come from and the place we dream toward. Like childhood summers that stretch like golden hours, like the notion of “home” that is both a place and a ghost.

Related artists: Nasreddine Bennacer, Saidou Dicko, Matthew Eguavoen, Eva Obodo, Fabiana Ex-Souza, Salifou Lindou, Omar Mahfoudi, Ousmane Niang, Emma Odumade, Nana Yaw Oduro, Ozioma Onuzulike, Boluwatife Oyediran, Marc Posso, Hervé Yamguen

Wax is an instantly recognizable textile that comes in a variety of brightly-coloured patterns. This fabric, generally seen as ‘African’, has stood the test of time and transcended borders. Over the past decade, its popularity in Western societies has soared. Whether in clothing, accessories or objects, wax is found increasingly in our homes and wardrobes. Yet few of us are aware of its unique history.

Wax is inspired by batik, a fabric of Indonesian origin that is dyed using a wax resist technique. Industrialised by Europeans, it first became popular in West Africa before spreading across the continent, carving out a place for itself in the world of African textiles. The exhibition traces the history of wax to reveal a textile with a hybrid identity.

It also highlights the key role played by women in the spread and popularity of this fabric, with a look, for example, at the saga of the Nana Benz. The first traders to distribute wax on the markets of Togo, these women made fortunes from the lucrative trade of the fabric in the 1960s.

While wax has become a commercial and industrial commodity on an international scale, it is nonetheless a textile with strong emotional connotations, accompanying individuals through the major moments of their lives for several generations.

Pieces by Thandiwe Muriu, Yinka Shonibare, Aida Muluneh, Kehinde Wiley, Catherine Ochieng, Gombo Wax en Omar Victor Diop.