Collection: Aboudia

Aboudia — Solo exhibition in preparation

Galerie Bonnet-Abelin is preparing, in direct collaboration with the artist, an Aboudia solo exhibition for the autumn. The event's rarity deserves to be measured: for more than a year, Aboudia has made himself scarce — few exhibitions, a counted presence on the international scene — and each of his appearances is now an event in itself. Hosting a solo show by the artist is an honour for the gallery; that it should take place in France, and in Lyon in particular, makes it an exceptional rendezvous for European collectors.

The dates, title and works will be unveiled soon. Collectors wishing to be informed first can come forward now: contact@galeriebonnetabelin.com.

The artist

Born in 1983 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. Lives and works between Abidjan and Brooklyn.

Abdoulaye Diarrassouba, known as Aboudia, graduated from the Centre des Arts Appliqués in Bingerville. His work draws on the graffiti traced by children in the working-class neighbourhoods of Abidjan, which he turns into the material of a raw, stratified pictorial language: paint, oil pastel and collage layer over large-format canvases where frontal figures and writing saturate the space.

He gained international visibility in 2011 with canvases bearing witness to the battle of Abidjan, painted from his studio while the fighting raged. Exhibited in London that same year, then at the Saatchi Gallery in 2014, he is frequently likened to Basquiat and Dubuffet — a lineage he transcends through the deeply Ivorian grounding of his vocabulary, nourished by nouchi, Abidjan's urban slang. If violence surfaces in his motifs, colour obstinately maintains the innocence of childhood.

Presented at the Venice Biennale in 2022 (Côte d'Ivoire Pavilion) and awarded the Ivorian Presidency's Prize of Excellence in 2023, Aboudia ranks among the world's best-selling artists at auction by number of lots. His works feature in the collections of the Saatchi Gallery, the Nevada Museum of Art and the Jean Pigozzi collection.

Acquiring a work by Aboudia

Ahead of the exhibition, the gallery is already assisting collectors interested in Aboudia's work: advice, sourcing, documentation. Each work comes with a certificate of authenticity. The gallery, currently preparing its Geneva location, also assists Swiss and international collectors. Prices and documentation on request: contact@galeriebonnetabelin.com.