Ivorian artist Pascal Konan examines the African identity in a globalised world in latest exhibition

JOHANNESBURG - Pascal Konan, an Ivorian artist whose work crosses national borders, is adamant about producing works that have worldwide resonance. 

In addition to providing a critique of current socioeconomic situations, his purposeful use of symbolic codes and approachable visual languages connects audiences worldwide with the uniqueness of African urbanity and invites them to envision a more peaceful future.

Through the deft use of a variety of materials and fractured figuration, Konan's work at the Melrose Gallery in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, from 8 February to 9 March 2025, offers a moving meditation on resiliency, metamorphosis, and continuity.

Konan reflects on the changing narratives of African identity in a world growing more urbanised and globalised as he examines the complex interplay of tradition and modernity in Unfinished Symphony. 

Konan uses a combined method, using denim, bleach, acrylic, and Chinese ink as material and metaphor, to create a multi-layered commentary on urban African life, based on his personal experiences in Abidjan's lively yet unstable neighbourhoods.

According to curator Mpumi Mayisa: "Pascal Konan's work reveals the poetry of existence in all its precarities and potentials. Konan's work demonstrates a deep comprehension of materiality, with each component adding to the compositions' dynamic vitality. We are prompted to consider the interdependence of all people and the eternal potential for rebirth and hope by his multi-layered representations of dancing figures."