A new exhibition in Paris will showcase the Africa-inspired works of Brazilian painter Gonçalo Ivo, exploring the intersections of African craft traditions and contemporary abstract art.
Titled “Gonçalo Ivo — Fenêtre sur l’Afrique,” the show opens March 20 at La Maison Gacha and runs until July 9. The venue, dedicated to preserving and promoting traditional African crafts, presents the exhibition as a space for intercultural dialogue and artistic experimentation.
“The exhibition is rooted in the thinking of Édouard Glissant, for whom the museum of tomorrow should constantly invent new arrangements and relationships rather than adhere to a closed narrative,” the institution said on its website. Glissant, a Martinican writer and philosopher who won the 1958 Prix Renaudot for his novel La Lézarde, championed a vision of cultural openness that resonates with Ivo’s work.
African heritage meets contemporary abstraction
Ivo’s exhibition combines physical and abstract forms, bringing together African textiles, crafts, and totemic sculptures with modern geometric and non-figurative compositions. Works include Kasai, Baoulé and Kente fabrics, as well as Bamileke calabashes, presented alongside contemporary paintings to create dialogues between heritage and modernity.
By juxtaposing traditional African motifs with abstract art, the exhibition encourages visitors to see Africa not as a fixed idea but as a dynamic source of inspiration, reflecting Glissant’s concept of “relation” in culture.
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Venue and programming
La Maison Gacha traces its origins to the Jean-Félicien Gacha Foundation in Bangoulap, western Cameroon. The institution hosts exhibitions, workshops, artist residencies, and conferences designed to foster knowledge exchange and intercultural collaboration.
Through Ivo’s works, the exhibition seeks to highlight the ways African craft traditions can intersect with contemporary art practices, creating a “space for the circulation of forms,” according to the organisers.
The show underscores La Maison Gacha’s commitment to cultural exchange, blending artistic experimentation with an educational focus on African artisanal heritage.
Visitors can attend from March 20 to July 9 to experience Ivo’s interpretation of African influences within his broader visual language, offering a reflection on the dialogue between tradition and innovation.
