Ouattara Watts

PARIS: ATELIER EXB, 2025

I copy-edited the English edition of the catalogue by the Ivorian painter Ouattara Watts. Published by Atelier EXB.

Publisher description: Of Ivorian origin, Ouattara Watts is a major figure in contemporary painting. His pictorial universe is replete with symbols, signs and clues that lead to a complex and multicultural vision of the world. Rich in meaning, his painting draws its significance from West African mythologies and ancient beliefs. The artist explores the stories, tales and languages of a cosmology he has invented, revealing a world without borders, where everything is connected. He draws on his memories, mathematics and music to paint the world of the visible and the invisible. Ouattara Watts' work is of rare formal richness, combining a chromatic palette of direct tones with gigantic formats.

This book presents a large body of work organised chronologically, allowing the reader to observe the changes and developments in his painting. The images are accompanied by three essays by Mara Hoberman, Stéphane Vacquier and Smooth Nzewi, addressing key issues for understanding this work: the history of his painting and the influence of his French studies, his links with Africa and the place of his work on the American scene.