Obou Gbais (Ivory Coast) | Boogie Woogie Dance Bleu, 2021 | Acrylic on tarpaulin, 141x145 (145x149)

Sign.: OBOU 21 (front lower middle)

OBOU GBAIS  b. 1992, Ivory Coast

The main motif of his paintings is crowds of people; those who continue to live in the chaos of 21st-century Africa. The artist's compositions partially conceal the dark side of the characters, the disorder of the chaos, violence, attacks, and pain, but observant viewers can discern these elements in O. Gbais's works. Another recurring theme is the portrait of a woman experiencing the hardships of life. The cultural legacy of his native DAN region is an important integral part of his artworks. Often referred to as an ambassador of DAN culture, the artist uses the motif of masks to tell his personal and his nation's history.

Since 2017, the artist's works have been exhibited in Switzerland, Ivory Coast, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, the USA, and Senegal; his artwork has been presented at prestigious international art fairs: 1-54 (2021), AKAA (2022), SCOPE (2022).

In 2022, the artist visited Lithuania and participated in the opening of the exhibition "Contemporary African Art: Dreams and Realities of Identity" at the Vytautas Kasiulis Art Museum. The main flagship of the exhibition is Obou Gbais's painting "La Liberté" (Eng. Freedom).