On a recent evening in Abidjan, over a dozen galleries and museums extended their hours until midnight, welcoming art lovers on a special bus tour through the city. This event, known as the Night of the Galleries, was designed to allow individuals to explore and appreciate the ongoing Abidjan Art Week after their workday.
This after-hours initiative was first introduced in January 2024 during the Africa Cup of Nations football tournament, which was hosted and won by Côte d’Ivoire. It returned this year as part of the art week’s third iteration, which took place from last Tuesday to Sunday.
Since its inception, Abidjan Art Week has broadened its reach, incorporating various locations throughout the city, including La Rotonde des Arts, a contemporary arts centre in the bustling Plateau administrative area, and the Adama Toungara Museum of Contemporary Cultures (MuCAT) located in the working-class neighbourhood of Abobo.
Marie-Hélène Banimbadio Tusiama, a representative for the art week, emphasized the importance of creating opportunities to engage with art beyond traditional settings. “It is about immersing oneself in the artist’s world rather than just purchasing art,” she stated.
Following two civil wars that impacted Côte d’Ivoire in the 2000s and 2010s, the country has positioned itself as a central hub for contemporary West African art, alongside Dakar, which has traditionally been seen as the primary reference point for visual arts in the region.
Abidjan, a city enriched by a diverse population of immigrants from various regions, has seen a rise in local art collectors. MuCAT has been hosting the Africa Foto Fair since 2022, and the Marché des Arts du Spectacle d’Abidjan, which is considered Abidjan’s equivalent to the Dakar Biennale, is set to hold its 14th edition later this month.
Two years ago, a nationwide graffiti festival was launched, marking a significant shift in the perception of graffiti art, which was once associated with vandalism and criminal prosecution. Today, vibrant murals adorn the walls of La Pyramide and several upscale hotels in the Plateau district.
Organizers of the art week expressed their aspirations for the local art scene to thrive and evolve independently. This year, artists from Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Mali showcased their works, with the number of participating galleries more than doubling compared to previous editions.
Yacouba Konaté, the event’s founder and director at La Rotonde des Arts, underscored the commitment to inclusivity, challenging the notion that art appreciation is limited to elite circles. “We aim to make this event more visible and accessible to a wider audience,” he remarked. “Our goal is to communicate that Abidjan is a cultural metropolis with a vibrant visual arts scene.”
The week commenced with a tribute to Simone Guirandou-N’Diaye, an early art historian in Côte d’Ivoire and a pioneer in establishing gallery spaces that laid the groundwork for the local art scene. She and her daughter Gazelle now operate Galerie LouiSimone Guirandou, one of the venues participating this year.
At MuCAT, the exhibition titled Murmures d’Archives presented a more subdued, archival style of art. The week concluded there with an artist workshop followed by a DJ performance.
In the upscale Cocody district, a solo exhibition by New York-based artist Ouattara Watts at Galerie Cécile Fakhoury, one of the city’s leading galleries, fostered dialogue between the Ivorian diaspora and the local art community. Watts described his work as universal, stating, “My vision transcends borders; it is the cosmos that I paint.” He moved to New York in 1988, influenced by his friend Jean-Michel Basquiat, and aims to communicate ideas that go beyond geographical constraints.
