When you were living in Paris, you created the magazine OFF the Wall, followed by SOMETHING WE AFRICANS GOT, dedicated to African creativity on the continent. You are now based in Abidjan, where you've opened the contemporary art space SOMETHING, entirely dedicated to digital and video installations. How did this transition happen? What is your vision for this space? 

After a life in France, it’s not really possible to completely sever ties, so I split my time between Paris and Abidjan. This also relates to the contemporary art market, as it’s a field where one needs to be in constant motion, and Paris remains one of its major centers. When I started OFF the Wall in 2012, it was a ten-volume project showcasing both emerging photography and archival images. In this way, I created an essential dialogue by giving visibility to people who had never been published. For SOMETHING WE AFRICANS GOT and PROFILES, its magazine version, the idea was to give a platform to those who know and to amplify African voices speaking to the world. Building on these projects, it was during the 2020 lockdown, when I was in Abidjan, that I got the idea to rent an office for my activities. The space I found was ideal for creating an art venue, and gradually, things started to take shape in my mind. I realized it was great to start with a concrete, tangible medium like print through the magazine and then move toward something intangible, such as video and digital art formats. With this platform, I wanted to expand on everything I had done without repeating it or doing something entirely different. 

You are also curating the itinerant NFT exhibition, which brings together ten artists from Africa and the diaspora, set to open on November 11 at the Dakar Biennale. Can you explain how this project was conceived and its main objectives? 

The project began when I met Jean Mathiot, Deputy Director of the Institut français in Côte d'Ivoire, who shared his interest in NFTs for the Institut français. I later spoke with Valérie Lesbros, Head of the Culture and Solidarity Partnerships division at the Institut français, who introduced me to NFT Factory, and we decided to launch a training and exhibition project together in Abidjan. They had already organized an exhibition that toured Africa, which we decided to revive. In autumn 2023, I was able to bring it to SOMETHING as my first digital experience in the space. 

In parallel, we came up with the idea of presenting a new collective exhibition at the Dakar Biennale, a project supported by the Institut français and the IFCI. 

It’s important to note that NFTs had never been shown in a major exhibition before, and this project allowed them to be rightly positioned within the artist ecosystem. NFTs are a tool that enables autonomy, empowerment, and, importantly, control over resale rights and intellectual property, which is essential. 

This collective and itinerant exhibition is supported by the Création Africa programme, implemented by the Institut français. How did this partnership develop, and what were the key steps in its implementation? 

The partnership came about very organically since, after a dozen years of field experience, I already knew almost everyone involved. It was truly a project where the team was very enthusiastic—from the Institut français teams in Paris, with Valérie Lesbros and Manon Barbe, to Jean Mathiot at the Institut français in Abidjan, as well as the various Institut français branches or embassies of the artists' home countries, who are also partners in this collective exhibition. These countries include Senegal, Morocco, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, among others. 

Création Africa, thus, encompasses regional and innovative initiatives supported by the Institut français across the continent, particularly with cultural operators. It serves as a tool that enables them to go further and allocate resources, as they have done for this exhibition, to support the possible growth and rise of artists, especially in the NFT field here. 

The Création Africa program aims to support African Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs). With your experience as editor-in-chief of several publications, you have a deep understanding of African artistic creation. Which sectors are currently the most dynamic? 

In my opinion, they’re all incredibly dynamic, and it’s often a lack of awareness that leads people to think one sector is less vibrant than another. Initially, music, fashion, and cinema stand out since they were the first to receive support from local cultural policies. However, I believe all sectors are thriving—it’s truly exciting, although it can feel a bit overwhelming, as there’s so much to discover. In this context, it’s crucial that initiatives like Création Africa tackle these new challenges and engage with operators to co-develop projects. Even though culture is significant in Côte d'Ivoire, local companies don’t receive much support, and there’s no guarantee of State funding to cover our needs. For instance, SOMETHING is self-financed, and for now, my main partners are the Institut français and the Goethe-Institut Abidjan. 

Have you recently come across any favorite artists or discovered artists to watch? How do you observe the evolution of art on the African continent and within the diaspora, particularly on the digital scene? 

Once again, it’s incredibly dynamic, with new artists emerging every day. On the continent, some artists might start by strongly paying homage to others, sometimes without realizing they’re doing a near copy. They’ll follow a certain trend, and for the best among them, they eventually reveal themselves and create something truly unique. Most artists make a significant and original contribution from the outset. For instance, I’m impressed by the work of Zohra Opoku, who is German-Ghanaian and creates around the theme of archives, as well as her ancestral heritage. Among my favorites, I’ve discovered numerous NFT artists during the selection process for the Africana-themed project. These include the Brazilian artist Gystere (Adrien Peskine), Nana Opoku from Ghana, known by his stage name AFROSCOPE, and Linda Dounia from Senegal. I invited these artists to join the project because their work is authentically connected to NFT technology. To make the project more inclusive and convey my vision, I also wanted to highlight the work of a photographer who doesn’t use NFTs, Adama Sylla, who turned 90 this year! This also allows me to illustrate the importance of the NFT certificate added to each photo, which helps prevent counterfeit reproductions. 

After Dakar, the NFT exhibition will be presented at SOMETHING Art Space in Abidjan and in other African cities. Can you tell us about the post-Biennale plans and your ambitions for the exhibition? 

I aim to amplify the conversation about NFT technology for artists, which we’ll be initiating in Dakar, and to extend it across the continent and beyond. Among our planned stops after Dakar in autumn 2024, we’ll be heading to Morocco, where we’ll be featured as a special project at the 1-54 art fair. This is thanks to the Institut français in Marrakech, which secured this opportunity. Following that, we’ll head to Paris for NFT Week in February, and we’re considering Cameroon, in either Douala or Yaoundé. Our final stop will be next summer in Abidjan, where we’ll conclude the tour at SOMETHING. Of course, this is the current plan, but if other institutions or venues express interest, we’re open to further stops!