Art News

Ivorian Artist Paints as Bullets Whizz Overhead

ABIDJAN (REUTERS).- While fighting raged on the streets outside his studio in Abidjan and stray bullets hissed through the air overhead, Ivorian artist Aboudia painted. Only when the walls of his studio shook from the concussions of nearby explosions did Aboudia, 26, seek shelter in a basement. “I was so afraid while I was painting all these tableaus,” he said, casting a glance over a collection of work created during the months of political upheaval in the West African nation since a disputed election last November. “Some work was hard to finish, a lot of the paint is running, dripping. It’s not intentional, but it’s like fear or sweat, or tears — like my soul is crying,” said Aboudia, whose full name is Abdoulaye Diarrasouba. His work over the past few months provides a haunting interpretation of the uncertainty and violence sweeping the country since incumbent Laurent Gbagbo refused to cede power after losing an election to his rival Alassane