“When I write in my paintings, I’m not just writing. I’m
painting, playing music, dancing, there is a balance that I follow, I am
developing my own language.”
Kodjovi creates abstract and figurative compositions that
reflect his internal rhythms, resulting in bold, expressive paintings. Working
intuitively, the artist defines his work as the expression of his energy. Each
piece is both everything and nothing; as simple as a heartbeat, as complex as a
hurricane. Born in Lomé, Togo, the self-taught West-African artist spent time
in Paris before moving to the United States. He currently lives and works in
Los Angeles, California.
Kodjovi is one of sixty people from across the world
selected to be exhibited in “Out of the Fire,” the 14th edition of the Dakar
Biennale, one of Africa’s oldest and largest exhibitions of contemporary art in
Dakar, Senegal. In 2018, he was listed as one of the top ten artists at Art
Basel Miami. Interviews with the artist have been featured on France 2,
TV5MONDE, France 24, RFI, BBC, and major newspapers and magazines.
Work by Kodjovi has been exhibited around the world at
museums including: the Latino Art Museum in Pomona, CA; Chiba City Museum of
Art in Chiba, Japan; and the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art in Tokyo, Japan.
