Ivory Coast: the Abobo museum in Abidjan hosts an exhibition on street art
Audio 01:25
The artist Zoro Zipa at the Abobo museum which hosts an exhibition on the street art of Abidjan, in Ivory Coast, July 17, 2021. © Sidy Yansané / RFI
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
The street enters the museum!
In Abidjan, the municipality of Abobo is hosting an exhibition on local street art at the Adama Toungara museum.
A first for the graffiti and tags that litter the avenues of the city.
It is also a recognition for the artists, still very few to practice in the street.
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With our correspondent in Abidjan
,
Sidy Yansané
YZ's female portraits, Obou's masked characters, Zifu's graffiti… so many creations exhibited at MuCAT, the Adama Toungara contemporary art museum in Abobo.
For the first time in Ivory Coast, a dozen street artists see their wild art recognized as a work in its own right.
An accomplishment by Zoro Zipa.
“
Before, when I was doing street art, I was chased, I was beaten up,
” he explains.
Today, I am called to exhibit in the museum.
It gives me a lot of courage.
Now, when I do street art, young people in the street often come to encourage me by buying me water, by giving me 500 francs for my transport… And there, frankly, frankly… it makes me happy
!
He said.
Inaugurated in March 2020, the MuCAT wants to help change the sulphurous reputation of the municipality of Abobo.
For the director of the Nathalie Varlet Méplon museum, street art corresponds to this ambition. “
This art that was present in the street… I said to myself: people live with it… look at it or maybe don't look at it anymore because it's part of their decor, but at least they know it. I said to myself: how do you get them to come up with something that they have mastered, since they have it outside? So we're going to extend the street to the museum and like that we're going to extend this art. Then, they will see there, all of Abidjan with lots of graffiti… Lots of artists have intervened in many, many municipalities and they will perhaps realize that what they have outside has a value too. And so, somewhere, it is a first link between the museum and its population
”.
The exhibition runs until September 5 and hopes to attract 5,000 visitors.
Also to listen: Ivory Coast: street artist YZ portrait of street vendors in Abidjan
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