Rakajoo: The Painter of Kourtrajmé at Palais de Tokyo
The group exhibition 'Jusqu’ici tout va bien' at Palais de Tokyo features Rakajoo, a painter and ex-boxer, as its only artist. Curated by Hugo Vitrani, this exhibition is associated with the Kourtrajmé school, established in 2018 by Ladj Ly and JR. Running from August 29 to September 7, 2020, it draws connections between Mathieu Kassovitz's 'La Haine' (1995) and Ladj Ly's 'Les Misérables' (2020). Rakajoo's artwork showcases portraits of unnamed figures from the banlieues, including a police officer and a filmmaker involved in the 2005 riots. One prominent piece features a gathering adorned with an African mask theme. Born in 1986 in Saint-Denis, he was influenced by various artists and transitioned from animation to Kourtrajmé after boxing from 2004 to 2017.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'Jusqu’ici tout va bien' at Palais de Tokyo, August 29 to September 7, 2020
- Curated by Hugo Vitrani for Kourtrajmé school founded by Ladj Ly and JR in 2018
- Rakajoo is the only painter in the exhibition
- Portraits include Jean-Claude Poteau, a former robber and comic book author
- Central painting features a Notre-Dame rose window and a figure with an African mask
- Rakajoo was a boxer from 2004 to 2017 under the name Baye-Dam Cissé
- He was born in 1986 in Saint-Denis and lives and works in Paris
- His boxing club mural in Aubervilliers led to a 2008 exhibition at Théâtre du Châtelet
Entities
Artists
- Rakajoo
- Baye-Dam Cissé
- Ladj Ly
- JR
- Mathieu Kassovitz
- Hugo Vitrani
- Jean-Claude Poteau
- Aya Cissoko
- Marie Desplechin
- Lucian Freud
- Kerry James Marshall
- Jacob Lawrence
- Jérôme Witkin
- Norman Rockwell
- Fadela Amara
- Arnaud Lagardère
Institutions
- Palais de Tokyo
- Kourtrajmé
- Louvre
- Musée d'Orsay
- Centre Pompidou
- Théâtre du Châtelet
- Fondation Blachère
- artpress
Locations
- Paris
- Saint-Denis
- Clichy-sous-bois
- Montfermeil
- Goutte d'Or
- Aubervilliers
- Apt
- Sénégal
Sources
- artpress —