Boris Nzebo presented by SUD - Urban Trend: Participatory Urbanism
Boris Nzebo presented by SUD - Salon Urbain de Douala
Douala, Cameroon
Urban Trend: Participatory Urbanism
Participatory Urbanism, 2013
20 sec.
Learn more about Participatory Urbanism on 100urbantrends.org:http://www.bmwguggenheimlab.org/100ur...
This video was commissioned as part of Participatory City: 100 Urban Trends from the BMW Guggenheim Lab, on view at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum from October 11, 2013 - Jan 5, 2014. Learn more at http://www.guggenheim.org/100urbantrends.
Bio:
Boris Nzebo was born in 1979 in the Gabonese Republic in Central Africa. He studied in Douala, Cameroon, under the direction of Koko Komegne and Hervé Yamguen, and in the studios organized by Goddy Leye at ArtBakery. He began painting while studying to become a hairdresser, then concentrated exclusively on art, ultimately paving a unique path exploring hair in urban space. From there, he discovered signifiers of social status, expression of true thought, and the appearance of culture. He has participated in numerous group exhibitions, including an exhibition at L'Ifa-Galerie, Berlin (2011); La Cabine d'Esthétique, Fondation Blachere, Apt, France (2010); Art Paris Art Fair (2010); Come Back Haiti, Maison Revue Noire, Paris (2010); Group Show, Savvy Contemporary, Berlin (2010); and Jeunes regards urbains, l'Espace Doual'art, Douala (2009). In September 2011, under the artistic direction of l'Espace Doual'art, he realized a fresco on the wall of the art school of Port au Prince, Haiti. His work has also been featured in three solo shows: Etat des Lieux, l'Espace Doual'art (2013); Vil-Visages, l'Institut Français, Yaoundé (2011); and In & Out of my Head, SUD2010 (Salon Urbain de Douala), Douala.
Statement:
For the third edition of the public art triennial SUD2013 (Salon Urbain de Douala), Douala, Metamorphoses, l'Espace Doual'art invited Nzebo to perform an intervention in the central neighborhood of Bessengue-Akwa. The area is characterized by a spontaneous urbanism that lacks basic services for its 3000 inhabitants. Nzebo will transform the facade of a hair salon located in the neighborhood, exploring the paradox of the formal sophistication of the African hair salon and the chaos of informal architecture. The slideshow showcases Nzebo's plans for this intervention.