Sans titre 2021

Editor: So this is "Sans titre" by Aboudia, created in 2021. It's an acrylic on canvas piece, and immediately I'm struck by its raw energy – it almost feels like looking at a vibrant, contemporary fresco ripped from a city wall. What leaps out at you when you look at this work? Curator: Oh, you’ve nailed it! It’s that visceral, urban grit that grabs you, right? For me, Aboudia's work is a beautiful paradox – chaotic yet intensely personal. It’s like stumbling upon children’s drawings scrawled on ancient city ruins. Do you get that sense of layering, like echoes of different stories competing for attention? Editor: Absolutely! There's a real sense of depth created by all those overlapping lines and figures. Almost like looking at multiple paintings at once. Is that intentional? Curator: I think it speaks to the layered experiences Aboudia is channeling – his childhood in Abidjan, the political turmoil he witnessed. The seemingly simple figures – aren’t they like modern-day cave paintings? They become vessels carrying collective memories and anxieties. It's not just *looking* at the city; it’s *feeling* its heartbeat, its history, all at once. What do you make of his use of color? Editor: I noticed the striking blue outlines especially. They almost cartoonify these figures, but against the deeper, muddier tones, there's a real tension. Curator: Exactly. That electric blue feels like a jolt of electricity running through the canvas, bringing those raw figures into stark relief. For me, this "tension" highlights the precariousness of the subject’s existence in these communities; beauty and brutality living side-by-side, if you will. What are your thoughts on the title— or lack thereof? Editor: It's interesting that it's untitled! Perhaps implying that this scene, these faces, represent something universal? Curator: Precisely! "Untitled" becomes a silent invitation, a chance for us to project our own narratives onto the canvas, to become part of the story ourselves. Editor: I didn’t expect to feel this much complexity from what seems like such a spontaneous work! Curator: Isn't that the magic of art? A seemingly simple surface opens up into an entire universe of feeling and thought.