b.1974 - Present
Image by
Grek from the Republic of Benin
b.1974 - Present
Image by Joe Pollitt
Grek | Anagossi Gratien
Grek is an exciting young talented artist from West Africa, now living in the the Republic of Benin. Originally, from the Republic of Togo, he moved to neighbouring Benin in his teens and now works as an artist in the port of Cotonou. Previously, he has been commissioned by the French Cultural Centre in Cotonou and most recently, set-up a design group in the port of Cotonou.
His work is similar to Alberto Burni and Antoni Tapies of the Art Informel Movement of the 1950`s but I believe this is more by accident rather than design. I use the term Art Informel from the French informe, meaning unformed or formless to refer to the antigeometric, antinaturalistic, and nonfigurative formal preoccupations which is so obvious in Grek`s work, stressing his pursuit for spontaneity, looseness of form, and the irrational. His work is pushing forward new ideas of seeing and using whatever materials are closest at hand. His work is extensively about the plight of the empoverished and his inventive techniques of leaving painted canvas' in the sun for weeks on end is extremely effective and inventive. The end product is a painting that looks like it`s about to fall to pieces, which is purposefully symbolic in the way he chooses to reflect his own economic and social condition. On the image to the left | L'Homme Malheureux or the Unhappy Man, on the left-hand corner one can just make out a part of a shirt with a corey shell falling out the pocket. When I came to ask Grek what was the significance of the shirt Grek just told me it had a previous owner; an artist in Burkina Faso; but the artists took exception to his work so in return Grek took exception to the man's shirt and now the arguement is over. His shirt now part of his work and if he thinks it's shit then maybe he should reconsider where he buys his shirts. Perfect! The corey shell is symbolic of fame and fortune and is clearly falling out the pocket.
Grek`s work leans towards the gestural and expressive, with repetitive
Butterflies by Joe Pollitt
QUIET RIOT.
I wanna RIOT.
QUIET RIOT,
a RIOT I want.
QUIET RIOT.
I wanna RIOT.
QUIET RIOT,
a RIOT I want.
QUIET RIOT.
I wanna RIOT.
QUIET RIOT,
a RIOT I want.
quiet riot.
I wanna riot.
quiet riot,
a riot we want....
This is a West African Crisis. I don't care about being a number one for Christmas but I want all to know just how I feel right now. I adore the people's of West Africa and they deserve much better than the shit they have been offered by the chancers and wannabe.....Allow me the chance to sing my little song and have my X-Factor say for humanity.
It does seem rather strange that West Africans are not allowed access to their own medicine. Simply being reliant on Western Aid. There is news that Colloidal Silver and Snake Venom are effective cures for Ebola. This is a human disaster it seems utterly vulgar that big pharmaceutical companies stand to profit and are immensely keen to see how effective their modern treatments work on those effected. You don't think this humanly possible, that a country or a series of countries would use West Africans as a testing ground for Chemical Warfare. You couldn't image that the world would be that cruel but I have so little faith in World Leaders. I think about what Henry Kissenger did in Cambodia with his own private army and dropped all those bombs on innocent villagers on the borders of Vietnam. How they used mustard gas and napalm and cared so little about those they mass murdered. They are all ruthless and want to prove to each other just as powerful they are by crushing the most vulnerable on earth. I think back to a time when countries became nuclear and started testing in the oceans. They never once considered the damage they caused to the marine life. The destruction of a nuclear blast. This is not just once it was for China, India, USA, UK etc etc...Each country wanting to flex their military power.
It seems unthinkable that Western and Asian countries could be using Africans in a similar fashion but it does seem that way. Are we to see outbreaks of plagues in Zambia, Malawi, Kenya and Uganda when the Super Powers want to test out their Chemical Agents and prove to the world that they are equally as heartless. I think back to the 1990's and the way in which the World Press addressed the bombs that went off in Nairobi and Dar and only mentioned the Europeans or American casualties and simply avoided writing about the terrible deaths and injuries inflicted on the East Africans, as if their lives meant so little. I fear for the future and really want us all to be acutely suspicious of what is happening around the Continent of Africa. The Super Powers are utterly ruthless and care so little about the Continent outside their resources. This is of real concern to anybody who is still thinking. We are being brainwashed with reality television, the Premiership, soap operas that seem to preoccupy our screens and lull us into a false sense of security. We are hypnotised into thinking that the ruling classes are decent and worthy of their positions of enormous powers but we should wake up to their devious ways. Man is the most destructive animal on the planet. We must keep a check on the Super Powers as they run riot around the globe, thinking so little of the most vulnerable. Life is precious and nobody's life is more valuable than those that live on African soil.
Fonte: Joe Pollitt blogspot.com.br
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