Using acrylics in bright primary colours on canvas and paper, Obou Gbais depicts the precarious neighbourhoods of his country’s capital where his family found refuge fleeing the violence of the 2002 political-military crisis. Obsessed with crowds, he paints the congestion, the violence and the joy of people on the move, their anxieties and their dreams, as a therapy. He also practices music, rap and hip-hop bringing him the urban and street art influence found in his paintings and numerous murals on the walls of Abidjan. A 2019 graduate of the Abidjan School of Fine Arts, Gbais started exhibiting before graduation at the Ta’Art Gallery in Zurich (2017), the Rotonde des Arts in Abidjan (2018) and the LouiSimone Guirandou Gallery in 2019 and 2020. Future projects include a residence at 59 Rivoli 59, Paris and exhibitions as part of the Chambéry (France) festival season.