Abidjan’s New Wave: Young Artists Shaping Ivory Coast’s Creative Future

A city transformed by Contemporary African Art

Abidjan, Ivory Coast’s bustling metropolis, has become the stage for an extraordinary artistic renaissance. Over the last five years, the city has welcomed new galleries, artist residencies, a contemporary art museum, and even digital marketplaces. Fuelled by a state fund of one billion FCFA (around $1.7m USD) and the vision of its young creatives, Abidjan is capturing the attention of international curators and collectors—including Chris Dercon of Fondation Cartier, who visited in April 2025.

Established names returning home

Renowned photographer Joana Choumali staged her first exhibition in Ivory Coast in more than a decade, reaffirming her status as a global voice in African photography. Aboudia, whose raw, graffiti-infused canvases echo the turbulence of urban life, featured prominently during the second Abidjan Art Week. Meanwhile, painter Obou created a monumental twelve-metre mural, Souvenir de Boribana, for the Great History of Elephants exhibition at MuCAT, weaving memory and cultural symbolism into public space.

Carl-Edouard Keïta: reviving Goumbé traditions

Based in New York yet deeply rooted in Abidjan’s history, Keïta reimagines the cultural associations of the 1960s Goumbé movements. His pastel-and-acrylic works, exhibited in his 2024 solo show Goumbé, channel the collective rhythm of dance, migration, and community memory.

Mimi Brignon: collage as collective archive

By tearing and reassembling newspapers and posters, Brignon transforms fragments of city life into layered artworks that preserve popular memory. His pieces—such as AFCON 2023, What Memory?—highlight both fragility and resilience, earning him institutional recognition and acquisitions by ASCAD.

Adjoba Marie: introspection on canvas

Through surrealist self-portraits, Adjoba explores identity, anxiety, and human multiplicity. Using her own face as a symbolic anchor, she creates dreamlike atmospheres that question the depths of the self. Winner of the Ivorian-Belgian Friendship Art Competition, she continues to gain prominence in exhibitions across Abidjan.

Massa-Chula: sculpting memory and power

Sculptor and painter Massa-Chula reinterprets African masks as political, living forms. His works speak of wounds, silences, and resilience. In 2025, he donated two major sculptures to the House of Slaves on Gorée Island, a gesture of memory that strengthened his profile within the global Black Art discourse.

Angelo N’Guessan: street art as community voice

Known as one of Abidjan’s prodigies, Angelo N’Guessan brings colour and scale to the city’s walls, blending contemporary urban aesthetics with communal storytelling. His murals embody the boldness and immediacy of Abidjan’s streets, making him a vital voice in the city’s cultural renewal.

A future shaped by African Art

Together, these artists define Abidjan’s new wave of Contemporary African Art, where heritage and innovation meet. They are carving a new global narrative for Black Art, positioning Ivory Coast as a leading hub of creativity, resilience, and cultural exchange.

Can Abidjan’s rising scene become the benchmark for Contemporary African Art across the continent?