Basquiat's Kongo Fetishes at Galerie Gradiva

The exhibition 'Résonance. Jean-Michel Basquiat et l’univers kongo' at Galerie Gradiva in Paris pairs about twenty drawings and poems by Jean-Michel Basquiat with twenty nkisi nkonde, power figures from the Kongo cultural sphere (present-day Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, and Angola). The show highlights African roots in Basquiat's work, emphasizing sacred and ritual dimensions. Initiated by gallerist Enrico Navarra in 2020, the project was completed by his son Doriano Navarra after Enrico's death in July 2020. Curated by Romain Brun, Alexandra Dubourg, Bernard Dulon, and Julien Volper (a curator at the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Belgium), the exhibition runs until November 19, 2022. Notable pieces include a nkisi nkonde with mirroring eyes and a Basquiat drawing featuring multiple skull eyes (Untitled, c. 1986). The catalog includes a statement by Ivorian-American painter Ouattara Watts, a friend of Basquiat, who notes that Basquiat never lost his roots. The exhibition transforms the two floors of Gradiva into a site where art performs its sacred dimension.