Alexis Peskine
Born 1979 in Paris, France
Lives and works in Paris, France
Alexis Peskine has explored new ways of making that challenge his artistic practice. In his recent artist residencies in Cameroon and Italy, he worked with new materials and forms, such as clay and sliced tree trunks. Peskine focuses on questions of identity, addressing the Black experience and referencing Congolese wooden effigies and figures called ‘Minkisi.’  His signature works are large-scale mixed media ‘portraits’ of the African diaspora, which are rendered by hammering nails of different gauge into wood stained with coffee and mud. Nails, in both ancient and contemporary African cultures, are associated with objects of prodigious symbolic and spiritual power. The intricate nature of the Black experience around the world is what drives Peskine to travel and constantly engage in artistic reflections. His work has been featured in many print publications, including The New York Times, Le Monde, and Libération.
Alexis Peskine, Ikechukwu, 2021, Copper leaf-coated nails, Arno River earth, natural red pigment, clay, and acrylic on wood, 150 x 8 x 202 cm. Photo copyright Alexis Peskine. Courtesy of the artist and October Gallery.

Artists 2022