In his most recent body of work, Sess Essoh reanimates figures from Black African history in his vivid collaged canvases. Using thread, color, and paste, Essoh’s works embed these individual histories within a cohesive narrative space to build a collective understanding of their impact.
The artist—who was born in Toupah, Côte d’Ivoire, and received his MFA in art from the National School of Fine Arts in nearby Abidjan—is now making his German solo show debut with “Homage” at Galerie Melbye-Konan, which is on view through March 31st. Last year, Essoh’s abstract mixed-media paintings sold out at contemporary African art fair 1-54, at the booth of his gallery LouiSimone Guirandou, which co-represents him alongside Galerie Melbye-Konan. Now, in a new series, “Homage,” Essoh creates collages with significant figures from Africa’s past, adding to an alternate collective memory beyond typical colonial narratives.
