Bill Kouélany: Difference between revisions
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{{short description|Congolese artist}} |
{{short description|Congolese artist}} |
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<!--- Be careful not to confuse Republic of Congo with the nearby Democratic Republic of Congo---> |
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{{Infobox person |
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| name = Bill Kouélany |
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| othername = |
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| birth_name = B. Kouélany |
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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1965|10|31|df=y}} |
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| birth_place = [[Brazzaville]], [[Republic of the Congo]] |
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| death_date = |
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| nationality = Congolese |
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| occupation = artist, writer, set designer |
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}} |
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== Life and career == |
== Life and career == |
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As a teenager, '''B.''' '''Kouélany''' (as she prefers to be called) lived through the wars and violence in her native Congo. Years later the imprints of those early experiences can be found in her writings and art.<ref name=":0" /> |
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In the late 1980s, after turbulent teenage years marked by vulnerability and rebellion, Kouélany sought paths to newly found freedom. This was the start of an artistic life punctuated by writing, with pioneering plays such as ''Cafard, cafarde'', which she read in Paris in 2003, and ''Peut-être'' (2007), created in collaboration with Jean-Paul Delore. Her written pieces are imbued with the works of Tchicaya U Tam’si, a tormented and highly sensitive writer that she also featured in her first canvases. B. Kouélany’s painting is self-taught and autobiographical.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Bill Kouélany|url=https://awarewomenartists.com/en/artiste/bill-kouelany/|access-date=2021-06-06|website=AWARE Women artists / Femmes artistes|language=en-US}}</ref> |
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=== Writer === |
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Her work is marked by the wars in the Congo and also conveys the artist’s personal struggles.<ref name=":0" /> |
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A French speaker, her early writings include plays such as ''Cafard, cafarde (Cockroach, cockroach)'', which she presented in Paris (2003), and ''Peut-être (Perhaps)'' (2007), which she wrote with colleague Jean-Paul Delore. Her written pieces reveal evidence of influence by the notable [[Republic of Congo|Congolese]] poet and novelist [[Tchicaya U Tam'si|Tchicaya U Tam’si]], who is remembered as "a tormented and highly sensitive writer who [B. Kouélany] also featured in her first canvases."<ref name=":0" /> |
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According to Chavelet, many of her writings have never been published (as of 2016).<ref name=":3">Chavelet , D. (2016). The text in the body: [[Dieudonné Niangouna]] and Bill Kouélany: from writing to performance. ''Po & sie'' , 3 (3-4), 247-257. {{doi|10.3917/poesi.157.0247}} (in French)</ref> |
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=== Painter === |
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According to ...<blockquote>In 2007 B. Kouélany was the first sub-Saharan African woman to exhibit at Documenta in Kassel. She presented her largest piece to date: a paper maché wall with excerpts of texts from several international newspapers and warped videos of her face, in which she expresses, as a mother and daughter, her empathy toward the Congolese people.<ref name=":0" /> </blockquote>Since 2012 B. Kouélany has served as artistic director of the contemporary art centerLes Ateliers Sahm, the foundation of which is perhaps one of her greatest achievements. This multidisciplinary center, a one-of-a-kind initiative in the Republic of the Congo, is devoted to supporting young artists from the country and the rest of the African continent.<ref name=":0" /> |
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B. Kouélany's paintings reveal the artist's self-taught skills as well as their autobiographical elements, making her art sought out among international audiences in Africa and Europe.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Bill Kouélany|url=https://awarewomenartists.com/en/artiste/bill-kouelany/|access-date=2021-06-06|website=AWARE Women artists / Femmes artistes|language=en-US}}</ref> Since 2007, her work has been distributed internationally by the Peter Hermann Gallery in [[Berlin]] and the RDV Gallery in [[Nantes|Nantes, France]].<ref name=":3" /> |
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| ⚫ | In 2001, she took part in the residency program of the Doual’Art urban workshops in [[Cameroon]]. In 2002, her work was invited to the Dak’Art Biennale with the ''Creators of Central Africa'', and in 2006 she submitted art to the seventh Dak’Art. In 2004, she was named an artist in residence in Nantes, France and took part in an exhibition there called ''Beautés d’Afrique (Beauties of Africa)''. In 2006, again at the [[Dakar Biennale|Dak’Art Biennale]] exhibition, she received two prizes, the Prix de la Francophonie and Prix Montalvo Arts Center.<ref name=":0" /> |
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B. Kouélany's submission the following year to an exhibition called ''documenta 12'' in Germany was widely noticed. The work, called ''Untitled,'' was a very large installation examining the consequences of war and violence.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|date=2019|title=Report from the 2019 Prince Claus Awards Committee|url=https://princeclausfund.org/storage/documents/Report-from-the-2019-Prince-Claus-Awards-Committee.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=2021-06-06|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191122221906/https://princeclausfund.org/storage/documents/Report-from-the-2019-Prince-Claus-Awards-Committee.pdf |archive-date=2019-11-22 }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Bill Kouélany - Prince Claus Fund|url=https://princeclausfund.org/laureate/bill-kouelany|access-date=2021-06-06|website=princeclausfund.org}}</ref><blockquote>In 2007, B. Kouélany was the first sub-Saharan African woman to exhibit at Documenta in [[Kassel]]. She presented her largest piece to date: a paper maché wall with excerpts of texts from several international newspapers and warped videos of her face, in which she expresses, as a mother and daughter, her empathy toward the Congolese people.<ref name=":0" /></blockquote> |
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=== Mentor === |
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In 2012, B. Kouélany founded the contemporary art center and workshop, Les Ateliers Sahm in Brazzaville, becoming its artistic director. The multidisciplinary center supports contemporary art in Congo and is devoted to supporting young artists, not only from her country but the remainder of the African continent as well.<ref>{{Cite web|last=douw|title=Meet the 2019 Prince Claus Award Laureates - Art Africa Magazine|url=https://artafricamagazine.org/meet-the-2019-prince-claus-award-laureates/|access-date=2021-06-07|language=en-GB}}</ref> According to the Prince Claus Fund, the creation of Les Ateliers Sahm "is perhaps one of her greatest achievements."<ref name=":2" /> |
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== Awards == |
== Awards == |
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* 2006: Prix de la Francophonie (France)<ref name=":3" /> |
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* 2006: [[Montalvo Arts Center]] Prize (USA)<ref name=":3" /> |
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* 2018: Officer of Arts and Letters, awarded by the [[Ministry of Culture (France)|French Ministry of Culture]]. |
* 2018: Officer of Arts and Letters, awarded by the [[Ministry of Culture (France)|French Ministry of Culture]].<ref name=":0" /> |
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* 2019: |
* 2019: [[Prince Claus Fund|Prince Claus]] Prize in the Netherlands.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> |
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== References == |
== References == |
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{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
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== External links == |
== External links == |
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{{Commons}} |
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* [http://galerie-herrmann.com/arts/kouelany/index_engl.htm Photos of installation by Bill Kouélany] |
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* Bill Kouélany on kunstaspekte.de |
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* Bill Kouélany at the Peter Herrmann Gallery, Berlin |
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{{Authority control}} |
{{Authority control}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kouelany, Bill}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kouelany, Bill}} |
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[[Category:1965 births]] |
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[[Category:Living people]] |
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[[Category:People from Brazzaville]] |
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[[Category:Republic of the Congo writers]] |
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[[Category:Republic of the Congo women]] |
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[[Category:Republic of the Congo women writers]] |
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[[Category:Republic of the Congo dramatists and playwrights]] |
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[[Category:Women dramatists and playwrights]] |
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[[Category:Republic of the Congo painters]] |
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Latest revision as of 16:44, 25 December 2024
Bill Kouélany | |
|---|---|
| Born | B. Kouélany 31 October 1965 |
| Nationality | Congolese |
| Occupation(s) | artist, writer, set designer |
Bill Kouélany (born 31 October 1965 in Brazzaville) is a Congolese artist, writer and set designer. In 2007, she participated in documenta 12 in Kassel with a multimedia art installation. She lives in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo.
Life and career
[edit]As a teenager, B. Kouélany (as she prefers to be called) lived through the wars and violence in her native Congo. Years later the imprints of those early experiences can be found in her writings and art.[1]
Writer
[edit]A French speaker, her early writings include plays such as Cafard, cafarde (Cockroach, cockroach), which she presented in Paris (2003), and Peut-être (Perhaps) (2007), which she wrote with colleague Jean-Paul Delore. Her written pieces reveal evidence of influence by the notable Congolese poet and novelist Tchicaya U Tam’si, who is remembered as "a tormented and highly sensitive writer who [B. Kouélany] also featured in her first canvases."[1]
According to Chavelet, many of her writings have never been published (as of 2016).[2]
Painter
[edit]B. Kouélany's paintings reveal the artist's self-taught skills as well as their autobiographical elements, making her art sought out among international audiences in Africa and Europe.[1] Since 2007, her work has been distributed internationally by the Peter Hermann Gallery in Berlin and the RDV Gallery in Nantes, France.[2]
In 2001, she took part in the residency program of the Doual’Art urban workshops in Cameroon. In 2002, her work was invited to the Dak’Art Biennale with the Creators of Central Africa, and in 2006 she submitted art to the seventh Dak’Art. In 2004, she was named an artist in residence in Nantes, France and took part in an exhibition there called Beautés d’Afrique (Beauties of Africa). In 2006, again at the Dak’Art Biennale exhibition, she received two prizes, the Prix de la Francophonie and Prix Montalvo Arts Center.[1]
B. Kouélany's submission the following year to an exhibition called documenta 12 in Germany was widely noticed. The work, called Untitled, was a very large installation examining the consequences of war and violence.[3][4]
In 2007, B. Kouélany was the first sub-Saharan African woman to exhibit at Documenta in Kassel. She presented her largest piece to date: a paper maché wall with excerpts of texts from several international newspapers and warped videos of her face, in which she expresses, as a mother and daughter, her empathy toward the Congolese people.[1]
Mentor
[edit]In 2012, B. Kouélany founded the contemporary art center and workshop, Les Ateliers Sahm in Brazzaville, becoming its artistic director. The multidisciplinary center supports contemporary art in Congo and is devoted to supporting young artists, not only from her country but the remainder of the African continent as well.[5] According to the Prince Claus Fund, the creation of Les Ateliers Sahm "is perhaps one of her greatest achievements."[3]
She continues to work creatively. In 2019, she took part in the exhibition Prête-moi ton rêve (Lend me your dream) in Morocco, which featured other painters from African and was scheduled (at the time) to visit multiple countries.[1]
Awards
[edit]- 2006: Prix de la Francophonie (France)[2]
- 2006: Montalvo Arts Center Prize (USA)[2]
- 2018: Officer of Arts and Letters, awarded by the French Ministry of Culture.[1]
- 2019: Prince Claus Prize in the Netherlands.[4][3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g "Bill Kouélany". AWARE Women artists / Femmes artistes. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
- ^ a b c d Chavelet , D. (2016). The text in the body: Dieudonné Niangouna and Bill Kouélany: from writing to performance. Po & sie , 3 (3-4), 247-257. doi:10.3917/poesi.157.0247 (in French)
- ^ a b c "Report from the 2019 Prince Claus Awards Committee" (PDF). 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-11-22. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
- ^ a b "Bill Kouélany - Prince Claus Fund". princeclausfund.org. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
- ^ douw. "Meet the 2019 Prince Claus Award Laureates - Art Africa Magazine". Retrieved 2021-06-07.
External links
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