Tchif – Signs of Life

Tchif – Signs of Life 10/9 - 2/11/2014

The artist Tchif (Benin) and Sorella Acosta, Director of the Out of Africa gallery at Dak’Art 2014

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Tchif – Signs of Life

Tchif, the search for equilibrium among chaos

His highly coloured canvases convey the impression of an aerial view of ancient landscapes, where his traces are like memories of successive steps on earth. The artist maintains a tactile almost sensual relationship with matter. His canvases include sewn material, jute fibers ingrained with pigments, string and clay. Tchif plays with the rough surfaces of his pieces, preferring to feel and work them by hand, to better experience and live his creations.

Ocres, reds, blues and browns keep returning us back to earth, to nature, to life. Each painting is an orgy of colour; a coloured coupling that results in landscapes.

His art is an ode to the land, to thought, to life and to existentialism.

Tchif, la búsqueda del equilibrio en el caos

Sus obras, muy coloreadas, dan la impresión de un sobrevuelo de paisajes rupestres, en los cuales los rastros son como recuerdos de los sucesivos pasos sobre la Tierra. El artista mantiene una relación táctil, casi sensual, con la materia. Sus telas están constituidas por tejidos cosidos, fibras integradas en los pigmentos, cuerda y arcilla. Tchif juega con las asperezas del soporte, que le gusta trabajar y acariciar con las manos para vivir así su obra.

Los ocres, los rojos, los azules y los marrones nos devuelven constantemente a la Tierra, a la naturaleza y a la vida. Cada cuadro es una orgía de color, una mezcla cromática que crea paisajes.

Su arte es una oda a la Tierra, al pensamiento, a la vida y a la existencia.

Tchif, la quête de l’équilibre dans le chaos

Ses tableaux, très colorés, donnent l’impression d’un survol de paysages rupestres, où des traces sont comme des souvenirs des passages successifs sur la terre. L’artiste entretient un rapport tactile, presque sensuel avec la matière. Ses toiles sont constituées de tissus cousus, de fibres intégrées aux pigments, de corde, d’argile. Tchif joue avec les aspérités de son support qu’il aime travailler à la main, le caresser pour mieux sentir vivre l’œuvre.

Les ocres, les rouges, les bleus et les bruns nous renvoient constamment à la terre, à la nature et à la vie. Chaque tableau est une orgie de couleurs, un mélange chromatique qui crée des paysages.

Son art est une ode à la terre, à la vie et à l’existentialisme.


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Vague orange – 2014 – 80cm H x 80cm W – Acrylic and pigments on canvas

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Élément terre – 2014 – 110cm H x 120cm W – Acrylic and pigments on canvas


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Élément feu – 2014 – 110cm H x 120cm W – Acrylic and pigments on canvas

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Armée rouge – 2014 – 90cm H x 100cm W – Acrylic and pigments on canvas


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Chemin de feu – 2014 – 90cm H x 100cm W – Acrylic and pigments on canvas

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Terre jaune Trait noir – 2014 – 80cm H x 80cm W – Acrylic and pigments on canvas


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Noir-vanille – 2013 – 100cm H x 100cm W – Acrylic and pigments on canvas

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Ciel noir – 2014 – 100cm H x 100cm W – Acrylic and pigments on canvas


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Chemin d’eau – 2014 – 90cm H x 100cm W – Acrylic and pigments on canvas

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Les larmes colorées 2 – 2014 – 120cm H x 120cm W – Acrylic and pigments on canvas


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Earth life – 2013 – 150cm H x 150cm W – Acrylic and pigments on canvas

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Les larmes colorées – 2014 – 120cm H x 120cm W – Acrylic and pigments on canvas


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Chemin – 2014 – 110cm H x 120cm W – Acrylic and pigments on canvas

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Ligne rose – 2013 – 100cm H x 100cm W – Acrylic and pigments on canvas


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Solo exhibitions1995: «Zemidjans» l’Atelier Gallery – Cotonou, Benin

1996: GTZ – Cotonou, Benin

1997: MJC – Vieux Lyon, France

1998: Espace Rivage Gallery – Paris, France

1998: «Rêve d’un marabout» – French Embassy – Cotonou, Benin

1999: «Visages d’Afrique» – ABC Gallery – Dijon, France

1999: «Autocritique» French Cultural Centre – Cotonou, Benin

2001: Elf Village – Port Harcourt, Nigeria

2002: Regards Croisés Gallery – Paris, France

2002: Contemporary Art Gallery – Isle-sur-Sorgue, France

2003: IESA – Paris, France

2004: Alizé Gallery – Brussels, Belgium

2004: Huijs Basten Gallery – Asbeck-Groenlo, The Netherlands

2007: Exhibition «Musée des Arts Derniers» – Paris, France

2008: Cardinal Gallery – Ajaccio, Corsica

2010: Foot Culture, Photographic Art Installation – Espace Tchif – Cotonou, Benin

2012: Exhibition/Artist in residence – Kurú, Guayana

2013: MODE is ART – Cotonou, Benin

2014: Dak’Art 2014 – Arte Gallery – Dakar – Senegal

2014: Signs of Life – Out of Africa Gallery – Sitges (Barcelona), Spain

Group Exhibitions1995: ABC Expo – CCF – Cotonou, Benin

1996: «Contre le G7» – Chomarat Gallery – Lyon, France

1997: «Comme dirait l’autre», Off Biennal of Contemporary Art – Lyon, France

1997: «Zeitgenossische kunst aus Africa» – Frankfurt, Germany

1997: «Mémoire d’esclave» – Geneva, Switzerland

1999: Pierre Gallery – Paris, France

1999: Exhibition Boulev’art – Cotonou, Benin

1999: Alliance Française – Lagos, Nigeria

2000: «L’harmattan 2000», 1st Benin Art Fair – Cotonou, Benin

2001: «Tchif, Quenum, Zinkpé, 3 young artists from Benin», Travelling exhibition to Benin, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Togo, Ghana and Ivory Coast

2001: International Art Fair – Abidjan, Ivory Coast

2002: Official Selection «Dak’Art 2002», Biennal of Contemporary Art - Dakar, Senegal

2002: ULB Museum of Modern Art – Brussels, Belgium

2002: Group Exhibition 8 artists – Pontigny, France

2004: FIAD, Les Afriques – Musée des Arts Derniers – Paris, France

2004: Biennal of Contemporary Art – Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

2004: «Africas» – Raquel Arnaud Gallery – Sao Paulo, Brazil

2005: Chiefs and Spirits Gallery – Den Haag, The Netherlands

2007: Institute for African Studies – Leiden, The Netherlands

2007: Afriques – Espaces Humanités – Paris, France

2008: «O Bénin está ainda là» – Museu Afro-Brasil – Sao Paulo, Brazil

2008: Créafrique 3 Méjannes – Le Clap, France

2008: Expresiones Africanas – Fundación Daniel Suarez – Caracas, Venezuela

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2008: Espace d’Art – Centre Culturel Jacques Brel – Thionville, France

2008: 2nd Contemporary Art Fair – Brussels, Belgium

2008: Bénin Corps et Âme – Multimedia library – Melun, France

2008: Fondation Zinsou – Cotonou, Benin

2008: Un mundo «Toucouleur» – Espace Landowski – Boulogne Billancourt, France

2009: Africa ancestral e contemporanea – Centro municipal del arte helio oitica – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

2010: Regards Bénin – Cotonou, Benin

2012: Bienal Benin – Cotonou, Benin

2013: «Earth Matters» – National Museum of African Art / Smithsonian Institution – Washington, USA

2013-2014: Blank Canvas Art Twenty one – Lagos, Nigeria

2014: Art Fair DUBAI 2014, United Arab Emirates

2014: Monumental Africa – Maestri d’Africa in terra d’Umbria – Centro Espositivo Rocca Paolina Perugia, Italy

2014: Earth day Flower Museum – Los Angeles, USA

2014: Koton’oo Dak’Art OFF – Arte Gallery – Dakar, Senegal

2014: «Fleuve en couleurs» – Saint-Louis, Senegal

2014: «Vivres» – Domaine de Chamarande – Essonne, France

2014: «Africa-Africans» – Museo Afro-Brésil – Sao Paolo, Brazil

CollectionsFrance

- Jean-Paul Blachère Foundation – Apt

- Société Générale

- Total

- AAD Foundation – Léridon

The Netherlands

- Afrika Museum

- Wageningen University (Top Institute Food and Nutrition)

- Alpha Accounts – Arnhem

Brazil

- Museo Afro-Brasil de Sao-Paulo

USA

- National Museum of African Art/Smithsonian Institution – Washington DC

Republic of Benin

- Edil-group BOA

- Sobebra Fundation Zinsou

Purchases2007: Hotel Drouot Richelieu

2013: Auction Room London


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Out of Africa Gallery Carrer Major 7, corner with Carrer Nou

08870 Sitges (Barcelona) – Spain

www.galeria-out-of-africa.com

Galeria Out of Africa

Sorella Acosta, [email protected]

+34 618 356 351

contemporary art – tribal art - recycled art – ethnic pieces

http://www.galeria-out-of-africa.com

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Documents

Tchif – Signs of Life