Koko Bi is a graduate of the National Higher Institute of Arts and Cultural Action in Abidjan. In 1992 he joined sculptor Klaus Simon’s studio and won the DAAD scholarship to study at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. Koko Bi draws inspiration both from both avant-garde and classical West African art. His sculptural and performance works investigate objects linked to the reconstruction of life, requiring an ongoing reflection on one’s own existence as well as with the phenomena of space and history.
He has participated in several international exhibitions, such as the Ivorian Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia (2013, 2015 and 2017); Masters of Sculpture from the Ivory Coast, Musée du Quai Branly, Paris (2015); The Divine Comedy: Heaven, Purgatory and Hell Revisited by Contemporary African Artist (2014–15: Frankfurt, Savannah and Washington, DC); dOCUMENTA (13), Kassel (2012) and Dak’Art – Biennale de l’Art Africain Contemporain, Dakar (2008), for which he was awarded the Francophone Prize.
