Tchif signs of life press release

PRESS RELEASE

“SIGNS OF LIFE”

TCHIF (Benin – Painting) Exhibition from 10/9 to 2/11/14

July 2014 Galería Out of Africa Carrer Major 7 – Carrer Nou 08870 Sitges (Barcelona) www.galeria-out-of-africa.com – sorella@galeria-out-of-africa.com - +34 618 356 351

“SIGNS OF LIFE” Out of Africa gallery of Sitges (Barcelona) presents “Signs of Life”, an exhibition of recent work by Benin artist Tchif on display from the 10th September to the 2nd November 2014.

A self-taught artist, Tchif hails from the Republic of Benin. He has participated in numerous exhibitions and his canvases have been exhibited internationally, in Brazil as well as in Holland, France, Germany, Belgium and Portugal. Tchif was selected by the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington to participate in “Earth Matters: Land as Material and Metaphor in the Arts of Africa”, one of the greatest exhibitions of contemporary African art to be held in 2013 and which examined the rich relationship between African artists and the land upon which they live.

Tchif – 1973 – Benin - Painter

Tchif is one of the artists of his generation that plays an important role in contemporary African art. His highly coloured canvases convey the feeling of an aerial view of ancient landscapes, an archeology of the present where his traces are like memories of successive steps on earth. Tchif shows us his spiritual view of man, his drifting over the Earth, his existential search characterized by initiatory steps that give rhythm to his course and path. His painting transmits his personal vision of the world in which he travels.

Tchif, a tactile connection with matter

Tchif – « Élément feu" – 2014 – Acrylic pigments on canvas – 100cm H x 120cm W

Francis Nicaise Tchiakpe, aka Tchif, was born April 26th 1973 in Cotonou (Benin). Tireless he follows his search: that of understanding mankind. His work, in constant evolution, follows the path of his deliberations. For him, his paintings are talismans to better penetrate the heart. According to Tchif we live in an enigmatic world, regulated by complex laws. For this reason he has created a language of signs and symbols that can play the role of mediator between man and universe. The combination of these geometric "signs of life", give sense and coherence to his work. The symbol most portrayed is the “margouillat”, the lizard, representing a stylized man that is both prominent in his work and his questioning.

Tchif maintains a tactile almost sensual relationship with matter. His canvases include sewn material, jute fibers

ingrained with pigments, and string and clay. The artist plays with the rough surfaces of his pieces, preferring to feel and work them by hand, to better experience and live his creations.

Tchif, the search for equilibrium among chaos

Tchif – “Élément eau” – 2014 – Acrylic pigments on canvas – 100cm H x 120cm W

Ocres, reds, blues and browns keep returning us back to earth, to nature, to life. Each painting is an orgy of colour; a coloured coupling that results in landscapes. In as much as Tchif is an artist of emotions, his paintings are a feast for the senses and produce feelings of warmth, gentleness and light.

In the heart of the mutations of his society, through his work the artist has clear ideas regarding the solutions to the ailments and convulsions of the world. The search for a kind of equilibrium continues even in the face of chaos. A witness of the times in which he lives, Tchif refuses to be an artist that immortalizes the events and happenings of life. He allows himself this liberty - one must not forget his un-submissive and rebellious personality against the established order. His work reflects upon mankind and his surroundings, as an artist the depth and the sublime nature of his art distinguish him.

An ode to the land, to thought, to life, to divine myth and to existentialism.

Solo exhibitions 1995 : « Zemidjans » Galería l’Atelier - Cotonou, Benin 1996 : GTZ - Cotonou, Benin 1997 : MJC - Vieux Lyon, France 1998 : Galería Espace Rivage - Paris, France 1998 : « Rêve d’un marabout » French Embassy, Cotonou, Benin 1999 : « Visages d’Afrique » - Galería ABC - Dijon, France

Tchif – “Trois chemins” – 2013 – Acrylic pigments on canvas – 100cm H x 100cm W

1999 : « Autocritique » French Cultural Centre, Cotonou, Benin 2001 : Elf Village - Port Harcourt, Nigeria 2002 : Galería Regards Croisés - Paris, France 2002 : Contemporary Art Gallery - Isle-sur-Sorgue, France 2003 : IESA - Paris, France 2004 : Galería Alizé - Brussels, Belgium 2004 : Galería Huijs Basten - Asbeck-Groenlo, The Netherlands 2007 : Exposición « Musée des Arts Derniers » - Paris, France 2008 : Galería Cardinal - Ajaccio, Corsica 2010 : Foot Culture, Photographic Art Installation - Espace Tchif -

Cotonou, Benin 2012 : Exhibition/Artist in residence - Kurú, Guayana 2013 : MODE is ART - Cotonou, Benin

Group Exhibitions

Tchif –« Ciel noir » - 2013 – Acrylic pigments on canvas - 100cm H x 100cm W

Tchif – « Earth life » - 2013 – Acrylic pigments on canvas – 150cm H x 150cm W

1995 : ABC Expo - CCF - Cotonou, Benin 1996 : « Contre le G7 » - Galería Chomarat - Lyon, France 1997 : «Comme dirait l’autre », Off Biennal of Contemporary Art - Lyon, France 1997 : « Zeitgenossische kunst aus Africa » - Frankfurt, Germany 1997 : « Mémoire d’esclave » Geneva, Switzerland 1999 : Pierre Gallery - Paris, France 1999 : Exposition Boulev’art - Cotonou, Benin 1999 : Alliance Française - Lagos, Nigeria 2000 : « L’harmattan 2000 », 1st Benin Art Fair - Cotonou, Benin 2001 : « Tchif, Quenum, Zinkpé, 3 young artists from Benin», Travelling exhibition to Benin, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Togo, Ghana and Ivory Coast 2001 : International Art Fair - Abidjan, Ivory Coast 2002 : Official Selection « Dak’Art 2002 », Biennal of Contemporary Art - Dakar, Senegal 2002 : ULB Museum of Modern Art - Brussels, Belgium 2002 : Group Exhibition 8 artists - Pontigny, France 2004 : FIAD, Les Afriques - Musée des Arts Derniers - Paris, France 2004 : Biennal of Contemporary Art - Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium 2004 : « Africas » - Galería Raquel Arnaud - Sao Paulo, Brazil 2005 : Den Haag – Galería Chiefs and Spirits - Den Haag, The Netherlands 2007 : Institute for African Studies - Leiden, The Netherlands 2007 : Afriques - Espaces Humanités - Paris, France 2008 : « O Bénin está ainda là » - Museu Afro-Brasil - Sao Paulo, Brazil 2008 : Créafrique 3 Méjannes - Le Clap, France 2008 : Expresiones Africanas – Fundación Daniel Suarez Caracas, Venezuela 2008 : Espace d’Art - Centre Culturel Jacques Brel - Thionville, France 2008 :2nd Contemporary Art Fair - Brussels, Belgium 2008 : Bénin Corps et Âme - Multimedia library - Melun, France

2008 : Fondation Zinsou - Cotonou, Benin 2008 : Un mundo « Toucouleur » - Espace Landowski – Boulogne Billancourt, France 2009 : Africa ancestral e contemporanea – Centro municipal del arte helio oitica - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2010 : Regards Bénin - Cotonou, Benin 2012 : Bienal Benín – Cotonou, Benin 2013 : « Earth Matters » - National Museum of African Art / Smithsonian Institution - Washington, USA 2013-2014 : Blank Canvas Art Twenty one - Lagos, Nigeria 2014 : Art Fair DUBAI 2014, United Arab Emirates 2014 : Monumental Africa – Maestri d’Africa in terra d’Umbria – Centro Espositivo Rocca Paolina Perugia, Italy

Tchif – Ligne Rose - 2013 – Acrylic pigments on canvas – 150cm H x 150cm W

2014 : Earth day Flower Museum - Los Angeles, USA 2014 : Koton’oo Dak’Art OFF - Galería Arte - Dakar, Senegal 2014 : « Fleuve en couleurs » - Saint-Louis, Senegal 2014 : « Vivres » - Domaine de Chamarande - Essonne, France 2014 : « Africa-Africans » - Museo Afro-Brésil - Sao Paolo, Brazil 2014 : «Agua, fuego & tierra» - Galería Out of Africa - Sitges, Barcelona, Spain

Collections

Tchif – « Chemin » - 2014 – Acrylic pigments on canvas – 110cm H x 120cm W

France - Fundación Jean-Paul Blachère – Apt - Société Générale - Total - Fundación AAD – Léridon The Netherlands - Afrika Museum - Universidad de Wageningen (Top Institute Food and Nutrition) - Alpha Accounts – Arnhem Brazil - Museo Afro-Brasil de Sao-Paulo USA - National Museum of African Art/Smithsonian Institution – Washington DC Republic of Benin Edil-group BOA Sobebra Fundación Zinsou

Purchases 2007 : Hotel Drouot Richelieu 2013 : Auction Room London

For more information kindly contact: Sorella Acosta sorella@galeria-out-of-africa.com +34 618 356 351 www.galeria-out-of-africa.com facebook : Galeria Out of Africa