A Response in Uncertain Times

Being active in an international environment, Invisible Borders Agency and Lars Kristian Bode are aware of the challenging situation in the current situation, not only in Europe but also internationally. In a collective effort we would like to bring together different artists with various backgrounds. But they all have one thing in common: social commitment, especially in times of crisis. This group exhibition is only accessible online and is a reaction to a time of social distancing and forced standstill. But the exhibition counters this with the power of art and tries to build a bridge to the weaker ones - by donating 20% of the sales.

Join us in supporting our artists and also those who are currently in need due to the crisis, whether by following them and us on social media or by buying one of their artworks. You can find an overview of the foundations that we will support at the end of this text.

Armand Boua (*1978) works in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He illustrates his works based on the lives of street kids who testify to the violence and political struggles in West Africa. His observations of children are drawn largely from street scenes where urban migrations create ethnic, linguistic, cultural and social entanglements that have come to enrich and pro­blematize the region in equal measure. He works with found material, to which he applies his signature forms that invoke images and scenes in remembrance. Boua is noted for his textured and layered compositions, using tar and acrylic on found cardboard boxes. Each layer is applied and then scrubbed and stripped back, leaving abstract forms that come in and out of focus.

Alteronce Gumby (b. 1985) works in New York, USA. He is an abstract artist working across multiple mediums and disciplines. In Gumby’s process, he utilizes landscape as it relates to space and everyday life. His paintings focus on the representation of the self and subvert the traditional understanding of light and color through nuanced application of tonal changes directly with the artist's fingers and hands. Gumby configures works in a jigsaw pattern, reconstructing chromatic spectrums of color, line, experience and spatiality. Besides being strongly influence by established African American artists he equally abandons traditional formalistic techniques to push the spatial boundaries of color, light, darkness and form.

Mederic Turay (*1979) works in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He is synthesizing African cultural and figurative ancestry with western iconographic influences, in a linguistic “koine” that harmonizes the classical sculptural compositional structure with the tradition of sub-Saharan masks, placing the ritual dimension of the latter in perfect synergy with the contemporary aesthetic dimension. The artist creates his works using a diverse range of techniques: from oil painting and acrylic, to pastels and other more specialized techniques such as the use of coffee or other natural substances, bringing to life an assembly of heterogeneous, yet expertly composed iconographic elements. He is a narrator of stories and, above all, of dreams which, in all civilizations, exist as thoughts without sound, yet coupled with powerful images.

Dallas-based Riley Holloway (*1989) is best known for his dynamic work and fresh look at figurative art. His images are often accompanied by text and other personal references embedded within the work. He uses a bold painterly technique to create depth within the portraits. There is a softness he translates accompanied with his wild markings. This is seen with his utilization of charcoal and hand drawing, in conjunction with his ability to control and manipulate oils in a traditional process. His aesthetics create familiar spaces that are rich in storytelling, free from constraints, and true to his subjects. Holloway’s technique is undeniable, and his content is substantial in both drama, history and intimacy.

Yeanzi (*1988) works in Bingerville, Ivory Coast. The question of identity is at the heart of his work. Through the portrait, the artist implicitly reveals the personality of individuals with dual identities, regularly using assumed names. Since 2013, the artist has pursued a personal work using the plastic material that he melts, modifying his relationship to the genre. He collects stories but remains his first object of reflection, well conscious of living in a shifting world. Thus, the identity is not absolute, as a moving concept, it is for the artist a permanent and perpetual quest because we can be brought to integrate another society, to espouse another vision, sometimes to deny the old one.

NYC-based Chris Watts (*1984) is currently experimenting with transparencies between layers of silk and textiles in screened veneers of acrylic. His sensuous mixed media pieces provide the viewer with an opportunity to see themselves in and through the work, while inviting deliberation over the contemporary challenges he addresses. He is using a wide range of media, including paint, video, make-shift printmaking, sounds, and sculpture to explore themes of cultural hierarchies, socio-political issues, race and gender. Using originally found sources and material, Watts reframes these sources to link historic, biographical, and fictitious narratives that challenge conventional distinctions of how we choose to identify.

O’Maurice Mboa (*1983) works in Geneva, Switzerland. He is an interdisciplinary visual artist who expresses himself through painting and metal engraving. Very rooted in the actual Cameroonian society, he draws his creative force from the cultural buzz of Africa. He stands out for the singularity of his “canvas sheets”, poetic works, sometimes evasive, but always intimately linked to his origins, to the very bowels of his land, to the soul of his ancestors and the aspirations of his contemporaries. His works are the receptacles of ancient practices, three-dimensional metallic engravings that represent a precise action, both social and territorial, which ensures continuity between tradition and modernity.

Invisible Borders Agency and Lars Kristian Bode will support the following organizations with a donation of 20% of the sales to support Corona related relief actions:

• Le Centre Médical Polyvalent de Banock (http://www.banock.org/): The Banock Multi-Purpose Medical Centre (BMPC) is a community hospital located in Western Cameroon. Created on the initiative of Dr. Martin Sigam, the CMPC is officially inaugurated in 2010.
• Clubkinder e.V.: The Hamburg-based foundation is supporting interdisciplinary projects to master social challenges. One of their latest projects is a shower-bus for homeless people (https://gobanyo.org/).

Invisible Borders Agency collaborates with the most talented artists across all the segments of the contemporary art world. Our aim is to maximize the synergies between all our partners to promote our artists and accelerate their success. Through our network, we are engaged in various charities. We support projects that have a great impact on their communities and use art as a vector of development. We strongly believe we have a responsibility to encourage these local actions and support those who make a difference daily.

Lars Kristian Bode collaborates with a diverse range of contemporary artists from around the world. We support artists working across different mediums and disciplines who engage with new and challenging forms of creative expression. The gallery aims to create an international platform and program. We are working closely with partners, curators and institutions and are committed to present our artists on an international level.