With his big, vibrant canvases, Enfant Précoce brings to life the silent stories of migration
Francis Essoua Kalu (real name) is a lover of colors and contrasts, of the play of twisted perspectives and of a line that smells of childhood. He highlights the journeys and daily lives of immigrants, "calling us to look at those who are essential to our society and who suffer from a system that exploits them and hides them from view. He is keen to illustrate them not only in their drama, but above all in their resilience, which is their dignity and strength", stresses 193 Gallery, which is organizing Enfant Précoce's "Oasis d'Abondance" exhibition until April 27.
The dreamlike scenes of life imagined by the painter invite the public to shed their preconceptions, to enter into stories they know little about or, on the contrary, to find representations of their own experiences. With his paintings, the artist convinces us to rediscover our childlike eyes - because those "don't see lies", in his own words - to observe the world, reappropriate it and bring to life the stories that have been silenced. He uses his voice to tell the stories we don't hear, and his paintbrush to lend bodies to those whom society makes invisible.
Lise Lanot - kombini
27 Mar 2024