The Melbye-Konan Gallery presents the first solo exhibition of the artist Ngoye in Germany. Entitled "Masquage", the exhibition runs from 06.10. to 24.11.23 and features the artist's new series of large-scale abstract works.
Human dynamics and inner states of mind usually remain hidden. True psychosocial phenomena differ from outward appearances. Emotions are isolated from the outside world, true identity is hidden. This is a theme that underlies all of Ngoye's work and is reflected in the symbol of the mask, which is linked to the tradition of his homeland on a metaphorical level.
The new series of works presented in the exhibition "Masquage" testifies to an even greater loss of the true identity of society in the face of greater abstraction. At first glance, his abstraction, in the advance of deconstruction, no longer contains anything figurative. But on closer inspection you can still see faces, animals and much more. The All-Over Paintings present themselves to the viewer as paintings that cover the entire surface, without a main motif or central points in the picture. In the works, a structure of overlays of an expressive brushstroke extends evenly to the edge. The brushwork is concise, resembling a scrawl, and no stroke is straight, giving the paintings an organic and even playful feel. A form of expression also found in the work of abstract expressionist Cy Twombly. Twombly's paintings feature chaotic tangles of paint that, unlike Ngoye's, do not cover the entire surface of the canvas, but merely accentuate it. Ngoye takes this technique to the extreme, covering large formats.
The socially critical content of the paintings is taken to a new level. In his earlier paintings, the artist showed in a figurative way that the true inner state of people is hidden under a mask, with the very motif of the mask. Now he puts a mask on his works himself, blurring their features beyond recognition.
Ngoye (1980, born in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire) international contemporary artist, graduated 2006 from the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Abidjan. His works are already in renowned private and public collections around the world in (Germany, Italy and France). He also won the 47th Art Prize of the Société de Distribution d’eau en Côte d’Ivoire (SODECI).
