Le chat et les enfants 2013

Aboudia’s “Le chat et les enfants” is made with found materials: cut-up newspapers and magazines as a substrate, built up with vigorous strokes of oil stick, crayon, and paint. These materials are far from traditional fine art. The appearance of this work is raw and urgent. Aboudia engages with the urban environment of his native Abidjan, using these materials as a direct means to channel the energy of the city. The found materials, such as newspapers, root the artwork in everyday life, recording news events and advertising. These materials are typically discarded, but Aboudia transforms them to evoke the dense, layered experience of urban life. Applying bold lines and scribbled forms on top, he merges high art gestures with the graphic language of street art. The effect feels both childlike and knowing, combining the improvisational freedom of graffiti with the conscious social commentary found in modern and contemporary art. Aboudia’s choices of material, making, and context are crucial to understanding his art, challenging the boundaries between fine art and craft.