
Armand Boua(Ivorian, born 1978)Enfant de la rue d'abdjan (2017)
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Armand Boua (Ivorian, born 1978)
signed 'BOUA' (lower centre)
acrylic and tar on brown card
184 x 101cm (72 7/16 x 39 3/4in).
Footnotes
Provenance
A private collection, Italy.
This composition depicts a group of children on the streets of the artist's hometown, Abidjan. Over the last 20 years, the city has experienced rapid urbanization, with new industries drawing workers from across the country. This migration has resulted in a number of social problems: overcrowding, ethnic and linguistic tensions, increased crime.
One of the most critical issues is child abduction. These children are the victims of sex trafficking, illegal adoption rings and plantation labour. Boua's artwork draws attention to how we are failing to protect society's most vulnerable. The children's faces are vaguely delineated by ripped areas of black paper. We are left with the impression that these figures are disappearing before our eyes - forgotten ghosts. The torn cardboard surface is a placard, a "protest against forgetting".
Bibliography
O. Bonsu, 'Armand Boua', http://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/armand_boua.htm