Art Wash
| Formation | 1990s. In 2003 it starts using the name Art Wash |
|---|---|
| Founder | Dou Essoukan and Koko Komégné |
| Legal status | Not active any more |
| Purpose | Supporting artists and functioning as an art centre and laboratory |
| Location |
|
| Fields | Contemporary art |
Art Wash is a studio and an artist-run initiative based in Douala, Cameroon promoted by Dou Essoukan and Koko Komégné. The art space had a role in providing training for artists in a country without art training at the time, and it was the leading organization of the first outdoor contemporary art festival in Douala "Squat'art".
Artist Dou Essoukan established his atelier in the neighbourhood of Deïdo in the 1990s. In 2003 he transformed it into Art Wash, in collaboration with the artist Koko Komégné. Art Wash collaborated with Atelier Viking.[1] The name of the art space is related to the fact that Art Wash is situated close to the river and it wishes to be a “laundry for art”, transforming and promoting handmade art. While being Dou Essoukan's and Koko Komégné’s atelier, Art Wash functioned as an art centre and laboratory.
Squat'art[edit]
In 2001 and 2002 Art Wash staged a two weeks workshop - Squat’art. The idea behind Squat’art was to promote young artists who did not have the possibility of exhibiting in commercial galleries. Indeed, the paucity of galleries in Douala in the 1990s prevented emerging artists from gaining visibility and experience. The first Squat'art took place in Bali in January 2001 and involved more than twenty artists. The second edition, which was a tribute to the artist Kuoh Eyango, was organised in Deïdo from 4 to 17 February. The organising committee, led by the artists Koko Komégné, Dou Essoukan and Viking invited over forty artists who produced and exhibited original works.
References[edit]
- ↑ Giulia Paoletti Cultural and artistic initiatives in Douala in Douala in Translation. A view of the city and its creative transformative potentials, edited by Doual'art and iStrike Foundation, Episode Publishers, Rotterdam, 2007, p. 224.
Bibliography[edit]
- Yvonne Monkam, Douala: Le squatt des plasticiens, Africultures, 2002, p. 47.
- Yvonne Monkam, Koko Komégné fête quarante années d’arts plastiques: Entretien avec Koko Komégné, Africultures, 2006. [1]
- Didier Schaub, Koko Komégné. Survivre et frapper. Douala, Centre Culturel Francais Blaise Cendrars, 2006.
- Douala in Translation. A view of the city and its creative transformative potentials, edited by Doual'art and iStrike Foundation, Episode Publishers, Rotterdam, 2007.
External links[edit]
- Yann Queinnec, 2001 Video on Squat'art presented in 2003 in Paris in occasion of the exhibition Cameroun Connections [2]
- Yann Queinnec, interview [3]
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