In Ivory Coast, a double cultural exhibition pays tribute to the work of Mathieu Jean Gensin, on the occasion of his 90th birthday. This artist of Martinican origin has lived in Ivory Coast since 1960. The first part of this exhibition, whose theme is “In search of my origins: between initiations and transmissions”, has been on display since September 14, 2024 at the MuCAt, Amadou Tounkara Museum of Contemporary Cultures in Abobo. Visit alongside the artist, who looks back on his artistic approach.
2 min
With our correspondent in Abidjan, Bineta Diagne
Small beret and black glasses, Mathieu Jean Gensin navigates between his paintings which illustrate witchcraft, like Ritualswhich shows a character surrounded by fetishes. The character who is seated is with the canary and the gris-gris which are at his feet, at the time of the consultationhe explains. We see the masks and the colors which obviously symbolize the environment “.
Born in Martinique, Mathieu Jean Gensin studied Fine Arts in Paris. He settled in Ivory Coastat the time of independence, in 1960. And it is here, in the Dallas district, in the commune of Adjamé, that he launched the Negro-Caribbean movement, which highlights his roots. The root, if you like, initially, from a technical point of view, is the Impressionists.he decrypts. Even back then, in Martinique, the professor told us that there was no point in looking elsewhere, that we already had everything within reach. “.
Mathieu Jean Gensin did his military service in Bouaké: for two years, he traveled across the north of the Ivory Coast and discovered its rites. The place that impressed me the most was Korhogo, because there is the mystical side of things.he says. I witnessed the exit from the sacred wood. I have canvases elsewhere that I painted on this, where we see this very noble process of the exit and the entry of the sacred wood. “.
This exhibition also shows much more recent works, including paintings created with Zifu and Zoro Zipa, two Abidjan street artists.
Two exhibitions to discover until October 25 at MuCat d’Abobo and from September 27 at the French Institute of Abidjan.
Mathieu Jean Gensin also taught visual arts at the National Institute of Arts and Cultural Action in Abidjan. His thinking led to the birth of an artistic movement in the Ivory Coast around the 1980s: Vohou vohou. This name means “anything” in the Gouro language. It is an approach that is both about identity and based on the recovery of objects.
The Black Caribbean movement and Mr. Gensin, through his teachings, allowed Ivorian artists to find their own message, to succeed in building a movement that is independent of all the codes, the codes instilled by the West.
Sandrine Marmissol, director of the Eureka gallery in Abidjan