London

Dükü, Ernest
Born in 1958 in Bouake, Côte d'Ivoire. Lives and works in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire / Paris, France
Ernest Dükü began as an architect and designer, before moving on to his preferred media of painting and sculpture. In his work, textures, colours, and signs are deeply intertwined. Traditional Akan signs are brought into dialogue with Egyptian, Ethiopian, Caribbean, Christian, and Islamic symbolism to achieve rhythmic and nuanced results. Recent works such as to be or not to be… (2016) examines the origins of the sacred and the spiritual through symbol, divinatory rituals and faith practices. Dükü’s approach to divine matters is largely through metaphor and oral histories. As a comment on the role of language in building African histories, he explores images and stories inflected by their modes of telling and transmission. His work has been selected for group exhibitions in Paris (2015), Abidjan (2013), and London (2011). This is his first presentation in the United States.
Ernest Düku, To be or not to be @ silence on développe, 2016, Drawing and collage on crinkled paper, 120 x 80 cm / 47 x 31 in, Courtesy (S)ITOR/Sitor Senghor