Pascal Konan was born in 1979 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. He graduated from the National School of Fine Arts in Abidjan, and now teaches painting there while practicing his own artistic activity. Depicting the daily life of Abidjan residents, the artist interprets a particular emotion, that which African cities produce through their abundance of sounds and smells. Pascal Konan's approach lies in the exaltation of a happy childhood spent in one of the
suburbs of Abidjan, but also in the testimony of the precariousness of an Africa struggling with urbanity. His quest to understand the human soul leads him to explore Ivorian streets in search of collective life and spirit, which plays with what is open to view and what is hidden underneath. His work reflects on inner and outer lives, using the relationship to space as a source of belonging, where the African street serves as a metaphor for identity in continuous movement, where private and public physical spheres are difficult to divide into separate and static concepts.
suburbs of Abidjan, but also in the testimony of the precariousness of an Africa struggling with urbanity. His quest to understand the human soul leads him to explore Ivorian streets in search of collective life and spirit, which plays with what is open to view and what is hidden underneath. His work reflects on inner and outer lives, using the relationship to space as a source of belonging, where the African street serves as a metaphor for identity in continuous movement, where private and public physical spheres are difficult to divide into separate and static concepts.
At Jardin Rouge, Pascal Konan continues his work on the management of our cities through the use of various recycled materials. The issue of e-waste drives the artist to breathe new life into these objects found on Ivorian streets and more generally in West Africa, a veritable dumping ground for the Western world. For example, in Pascal Konan's workshop, we can see a planet obstructed by dark spots evoking the degradation of the ozone layer. This same planet made from a bleached-out jean draws our attention to the harmfulness of the products used in clothing production. His new collection featuring characters with diverse aspects around planets raises several concerns, including the undeniable indifference of a population unconcerned with the decline of its support, namely planet earth. In a context where social divides and the degradation of human conditions are increasing, Pascal Konan advocates through his works for individual action to realize humanism. Pascal Konan has received several awards and distinctions. In 2012, he was awarded the UEMOA prize at the 10th Dak'Art Biennale. In 2014, he won the Christian Latier prize, which gave him the opportunity to do a residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris.