Jean David Nkot: Théâtre des Corps – Drame de la Matière

AFIKARIS Gallery has announced Cameroonian artist Jean David Nkot’s upcoming project: “Théâtre des Corps, Drame de la Matière” curated by Christine Eyene.

The project will be presented in three venues between Douala (Cameroon) and Paris (France).

“Théâtre des Corps, Drame de la Matière” delves into the mining and agricultural extraction practices taking place in Cameroon, shedding light on their impact on the bodies engaged in these laborious tasks. Through a series of paintings, sculptures and an installation, the artist brings to life human figures—either immersed in their toil or symbolizing these industries—seamlessly blending pictorial tradition with contemporary expression. This notion of materiality goes beyond representation, unfolding in the rich pigments of the artworks and the historical archives that serve as their backdrop, embodying the souls whose existence remains bound to the fate of this land.

Showcased at Espace Annie Kadji (Douala), “Epigraphies des Corps” revisits the practice of engraved inscriptions and goes beyond the visible and physical matter by considering the internal and psychological traces left by Cameroon’s colonial history. Taking cocoa exploitation as his subject matter, the artist invites the visitor on a visual and olfactory immersion of cocoa leaves and related new art pieces.

At doual’art (Douala) “Map of Resources” takes us once again into this fertile land with an installation transforming the large exhibition space into an extraction site. From the earth emerge sculpted busts and heads representing the workforce. Their blue colour evokes the cobalt embedded in the soil, covering the workers’ skin, in an aesthetic harking back to ancient ceramics. In glass jars, sculpted forms resembling precious minerals are topped with small anthropomorphic figurines inspired by Kota reliquaries. Their blue helmet symbolises their protective role, not without conveying the ambiguous nature of peacekeeping military presence on African soil.

“Epigraphies des Corps”, Espace Annie Kadji, Douala, opening 17 April.
“Map of Resources” at Espace doual’art, Douala, opening 18 April.
“Théâtre des Corps – Drame de la Matière”, Galerie Afikaris, Paris, 22 May – 21 June.

For more information, contact Afikaris at info@afikaris.com.