Globalisation 

Curator: Oh, wow, it’s intense! Chaotic, almost like a beautiful explosion in a cultural melting pot. Does it feel that way to you? Editor: Precisely. What we have here is “Globalisation” by Aboudia, an acrylic and mixed media collage. Aboudia, an artist deeply rooted in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, often captures the vibrant, raw energy of urban life. The date is not know. Curator: Collage... makes perfect sense! All these layered faces, figures, fragments of photographs... They're like echoes bouncing off each other, vying for our attention, aren't they? I'm particularly struck by how he juxtaposes those primal, almost mask-like faces sketched in vibrant colors over these snippets of reality. There’s this raw, unmediated vision. What do you make of those figures? Editor: They remind me of ancient votive figures and ritual masks – embodiments of collective hopes and fears, simultaneously present and ghostly. This superimposition suggests the persistence of traditional iconography beneath the surface of contemporary life. Curator: Exactly! Like cultural DNA trying to express itself in a world obsessed with sleek, homogeneous imagery. Look at those graffiti-esque strokes—so free, almost childlike in their directness. There’s a defiance of traditional form that gives me the feeling of an urban rebel poet. Editor: Aboudia is drawing on that deep well of African symbolism while critiquing the flattening effect of globalisation. You see, beneath those bright, chaotic lines lies the reminder that even in our interconnected world, ancient narratives and local identities endure and, often, fiercely resist assimilation. These are, in effect, spirits in a machine, demanding to be seen. Curator: Spirits in a machine… I love that. And it perfectly captures how I feel staring into this whirlwind of a piece—a mixture of hope and, honestly, a little anxiety, about where it’s all headed. Thanks. Editor: Indeed. Ultimately, this work embodies a poignant commentary on cultural memory, forcing us to reconsider our relationship with the past in an increasingly globalized world. A challenge for any of us to face, for sure.