Brice Arsène Yonkeu brings dialogue among diaspora to Gagosian Park & ​​75

Editor’s Note: This story is News reportera new one Artnews For the series, we interviewed porters and shakers who changed in the art world.

If you happen to wander the Gagosian parks and 75 spaces this summer and then think, “Ah, yes, another original blue chip group show”, you might want to turn around. Independent curator Brice Arsène Yonkeu curated “Once Such a II: Between Home and Other Places,” is unique.

This is the second part of a two-part exhibition started by Dot.Ateliers, the Foundation-Cum-Cum exploration space was launched in Accra in 2023 by Ghanaian painter Amoako Boafo.

“Once Such a Scene” brings together four artists of African descent whose practices are all over painting, photography and rallies. As Yonkeu said Artnews In a recent interview, these artists may be young and emerging, but they are “full artists.” The result is not as good as thematic presentation, rather than visual dialogue, which takes into account the complexity of the diasporic self in all its fluids.

Yonkeu is the co-founder of the Douala BWO Gallery in Cameroon and is the first to invite a new residence program for the Dot.Ateliers curator, writer and filmmaker. With “Now II,” he expands on the questions raised in Accra’s program, namely memory, migration and belonging—in the work of the radiant artists, who obey “everything” while working across boundaries, culture and time zones. At least here, the answer is not one thing, but a tapestry of visual narrative and personal history.

Artnews During the installation of the show, sitting with Yonkeu at the Upper East Side Gallery in Gagosian, talking about what Accra carries, how identity resists simplification and why he uses planning as a form of conversation.

Artnews: The show started in Accra and is now on the Upper East Side. What do you think lasts between the two settings? Or something that will be lost in the translation?

Brice Arsène Yonkeu: This is a good question. In Accra, I respond directly to what the artist created during his residence, and Accra (the city, its environment) has a strong influence on the work. This version is a little different in New York. I want to continue the conversation, but it will expand it. Here, artists don’t necessarily respond to a place. They speak from many places. Connecting two shows the existence of something wandering. This is what I mean by “once once appeared like this”. That’s what’s left.

Let’s talk about artists. Emma Prempeh’s work immediately stood out. The atmosphere, the light, the brush – it feels so intimate.

Emma’s work is very special. Her mother’s life and memories are crucial to her practice. A painting in the show, There are many ghosts in DihaiThe photos taken during her first visit to Saint Vincent, where her mother was from, were taken. This is also the first time her mother has returned in more than 40 years. Therefore, there is such intergenerational reward to occur-cycle. Emma uses light, texture and even schlag metal that oxidizes over time – this is all she draws the memory.

There is also the feeling of this movie. It’s like you walk into a scene that has been evolving.

Exactly. This is an important part of her visual language. Recently, she began painting more scenery – outdoor memories you can say. This is a development I’m very happy to see.

Another piece that really attracted me was the work of JosèfaNtjam. Filled with a lot of stuff – you can stand in front of it for an hour, but you can still find new connections.

Josèfa works with Photomtage, and the layering is incredible. She draws inspiration from archives, historical images, family photos. In one work, she brings together the first African ambassador to the Vatican, Saku Ne Vunda. Henrietta lacks; and Harriet Tubman. It became a map of Black Resistance, a sign of memory, protest and existence. Her technology is sublimation printing on aluminum, giving it a futuristic glow.

Then you have Luke Agada’s work very different – more abstract, but still emotionally energetic. His drawings are my favorite part of the show.

Luke’s painting is about transformation. Born in Lagos, he moved to the United States to attend college, and his work reflects the middle. In fact, he used to be a veterinarian, and his form has organic qualities. He portrays this psychological space – what Homi Bhabha might call the “third space.” You can see traces of memory, landscapes and even buildings. But it always remains open.

Boafo’s works are the most symbolic work in the show and the most central one – text and metaphor. Do you feel the pressure to plan a show that includes him, especially because it is his plan to live in?

Honestly, I see it as an opportunity. I like his work for a long time. No pressure – I curated the show and sent it to him after installing the picture. The work on this show is one of the most intimate works I’ve seen from him. The character’s arms are open, enthusiastic, but also slightly split. It seems like she is taking up a space for us and reflecting it back at the same time.

How do you avoid falling into clichés when you plan a show that deals with identity?

I’ve been thinking about it all the time. I don’t have a fixed identity and have a fixed idea. I asked a question. I’m interested in the complexity of the diaspora experience – not simplifying it, but showing its layers. These artists are saying different things. My job is to create a space that resonates with you.

There is a memory line throughout the show. Is this what you planned, or did it appear organically?

This is very organic. I start with a one-page curation brief – an overview of ideas I want to explore. From there, I thought of which artists could speak to these ideas. Then, as the works come together, new connections emerge. I always say that the exhibition should be like a book. Every artist is a character. Each work, one chapter. You walked by and the story unfolded.

The best part is: anyone can walk in.

This is my love for this space. The walk-in traffic is amazing. People from all walks of life are not only in the art world. I want an exhibition that I talk to everyone, without a simplified one. That’s what makes it interesting. Meaning.

If you were going to do this show again, or somehow expand it, what would you do?

I think I will provide more medium, especially sculpture. I would love to attract artists who think through the spread of ideas, especially those who intergenerational. What does it mean to carry something forward? Passed down? There are many ways to build in this exhibition. The theme is not fixed. They evolve with the artists and the places we show them.

Gagosian Park and 75 locations were exhibited at Gagosian Park as of August 8.