Abidjan | Grand Bassam, Côte d‟Ivoire

www.KACHILE.com

Copyright © Kachile

COLORS OF IVORIAN ARTillustrated introduction to the art of Côte d‟Ivoire

Introduction

Côte d‟Ivoire was once called the “jewel of

West Africa” for its thriving economy,

peaceful integration of immigrants, and lack

of ethnic tensions, representing a model for

the whole African continent. This has greatly

benefited the growth and diversity of the

Ivorian art scene over time and still does.

Have a look at the thriving local art scene

and come visit!

Our Products

The vibrant batiks, remarkable oil paintings, striking tableware,

and the ceremonial masks we present to you are the result of

decades of technical training, artistic research, and professional

growth. The craftsmanship, technical skills and traditions of rite,

passage and ceremony have carefully been passed down

through many generations. Kachile‟s local craftsmen and

women continue in their forefathers‟ traditions, yet fuse their

work and talent with exciting new influences from other cultures

and other spheres of art. Thanks to a significant inflow of

immigrants coming from many neighbouring countries, artists

and artisans successfully absorbed, and then integrated these

social changes into their heritage to diversify their customs.

Their work today is the result of a delightful yet complex

evolution of ancient customs, rituals, beliefs, and values that

make up the flourishing art scene of modern West Africa.

We offer our customers the highest level of authenticity. All the

products we present are entirely handmade and as such are

certified by the Côte d‟Ivoire National Office of Arts and Crafts.

Kachile‟s cooperatives, numerous workshops, and artisanal

centres are located in Côte d‟Ivoire, a veritable artistic melting

pot of West African arts with Grand Bassam being the major

hub. Kachile strives for the preservation and continued

celebration of local arts. We adhere to and appreciate these

local traditions. Our artists and craftspeople work in their own

workshops, developing their own talents and bringing individual

quirks and styles not found in large factories. They use locally

sourced materials and guarantee environmentally sound

practices.

Ethno

MASKS

Insight into Ivorian Masks

With many mystical and supernatural interpretations, mask culture has a long tradition in West Africa. Every

mask holds a different and intricate meaning and each one is used to represent a different spirit. Often a mask

is so abound with energy and spiritual representation that before it can be worn by someone else, a

transformation ritual must be affected whereby the force and responsibility of the mask is truly transposed into

the new mask bearer.

Mask history is both mysterious and gripping, going back to a time when people were living together in small

village communities. People‟s lives were mainly limited to the villages that they were born in; knowledge of,

and communication with, neighboring villages was greatly restricted. For the villager in this time the spirits,

which were commonly believed to be living in the „sacred forests‟ surrounding the villages, were the only

means to get help, health, or protection. The number and diversity of spirits is as varied as the many reasons

and problems for which they were contacted and in some places today spirits are still called up.

Every spirit has its own unique purpose and each performs a defined societal role. In accordance with tradition

each spirit chooses one human representative. Inspired by the spirit, the chosen person carves and creates a

mask to represent the power of their own special genie force. In addition, every mask is combined with

particular clothing. Often the mask and its accompanying costume are hidden and guarded in a secret place.

During the traditional ceremonies, the spirits‟ chosen representative enters a kind of trance and it is said that

the spirit moves into the mask bearer‟s body. Traditional ceremonies always consist of three different

elements: the mask itself including the particular clothing worn with the mask; traditional African music; and

traditional dances.

As already mentioned each mask is assigned to and worn by only one particular person, this particular person

is not allowed to disclose his or her identity to the other members of the community. When one of the mask

bearers dies, the spirit leaves their body and chooses another person which will be the future representative of

this supernatural force. The occasions for these traditional ceremonies range from joyful events, to funerals, to

fertility requests, or the attunement for war. And even though the culture of masks did become commercial to a

degree, due to the expansion of tourism and other such factors, many villages still regularly conduct these

traditional ceremonies.

In the following pages you will find Kachile‟s collection of masks, showcasing the main Ivorian ethnic groups:

Baoulé, Sénoufo and Gouro.

Traditional view of Wê mask

Baoulé

The Baoulé are Côte d‟Ivoire‟s largest

ethnic group, comprising about 23% of the

Ivorian population, and are part of the Akan

group, located in Central East area.

Baoulé masks depict human faces; they

are worn exclusively by males even though

their designs are typically narrow and are

feminine looking. In comparison to masks

of other ethnicities, which are often

anthropozoomorphic meaning that they are

adorned by animal elements. The faces of

Baoulé masks are mainly decorated with

traditional hairstyles.

Scarifications, mainly found on cheekbones

and foreheads, are one of the main

characteristics to distinguish Baoulé

masks. A scar in Baoulé culture is both a

sign of beauty and a tool for identification.

In the past, the Baoulé people used to mark

babies by scaring their faces. This served

to identify the familial background of people

during times when passports were much

less common.

CI01A-02CAL-008A

35 cm | acajou | 45 €

CI01A-02CAL-010A

57 cm | emea | 309 €

CI01A-02CAL-018A

37 cm | baya | 35 €

CI01A-02CAL-025A

58 cm | acajou | 179 €

CI01A-02CAL-004A

33 cm | rubber tree | 35 €

CI01A-02CAL-022A

35 cm | emea | 35 €

Sénoufo

The Sénoufo‟s territory extends across

three countries – present-day Côte d‟Ivoire,

Mali and Burkina Faso. However, the

largest part of the Sénoufo people and

culture is in Northern Côte dÍvoire around

Korhogo, - the Sénoufo capital. The

Sénoufo is one of the oldest ethnicities of

Côte d‟Ivoire, for whom agriculture has

always been the most important activity. In

former times, this ethnicity had been

divided into two social groups – farmers

and craftsmen. Marriage between these

groups was strictly prohibited.

An important symbol for the Sénoufo group

is the hornbill. This tropical bird is

characterized by a huge, downward-curved

beak, according to the tradition, the founder

of the Sénoufo people. This mythically bird

is said to live in the holy forests and

symbolizes fertility. Depicted in varying

shapes, it is an often-used element of

Sénoufo handicraft. Similar to the features

of Baoulé masks it also has a protruding

forehead and facial scarring.

CI01A-02CAL-049A

40 cm | baya | 35 €

CI01A-02CAL-048A

55 cm | acajou | 179 €

CI01A-02CAL-051A

60 cm | baya | 79 €

CI01A-02CAL-046A

44 cm | acajou | 45 €

CI01A-02CAL-050A

40 cm | acajou | 79 €

Gouro

In North-Western Côte d‟Ivoire Gouro is

one of the most important ethnic groups. In

Gouro culture masks represent the spirits,

called Yu, which are living in their holy

forests. The masks‟ faces are usually

colored with bright paints in primary colors.

They are typically slight, narrow and

feminine, characterized by almond-shaped

eyes, long nose, small mouth and pursed

lips; these kind of masks with these

attractive female features are called Gu

which represent the Gouro female ideal.

Gouro masks are very popular, even in

non-African countries, because of their

colorful and adorned appearance.

CI01A-02CAL-057A

30 cm | emea | 55 €

CI01A-02CAL-031A

59 cm | emea | 55 €

CI01A-02CAL-035A

74 cm | emea | 55 €

CI01A-02CAL-036A

71 cm | emea | 55 €

CI01A-02CAL-029A

80 cm | emea | 55 €

Artisanal

DECORATIVE

PANELS

Batik Technique

There are various traditional techniques that are used by the Ivorian masters to create and color cloth. The

techniques employed have the advantage of creating unique designs.

Among the many techniques taken up by Ivorian craftsmen and women, the following ones are of particular

importance in creating authentic Ivorian cloths: knotting; tie-dying; and popular batik methods. Another is the

Sénoufo-rooted Korhogo decorated fabrics whose striking geometrical and mythological features are the

specialty of artisans living in the north of Côte d‟Ivoire and inspired Picasso when he worked in Korhogo.

The batik method, which is one of the traditional techniques of coloring cloths, in particular cotton, consists of

first covering the cloth with wax all over, allowing the wax to dry, and then afterwards breaking off the wax by

squashing the cloth in your hands. After, all the cloth is dipped into the paint; the paint colors the little parts

where the wax is broken. Afterwards the artisans repeat the process by using another color. One always

begins with the lightest color and the whole process is finished with the darkest shade. In order to draw

pictures on the batik a similar method is employed of covering some parts of the cloth with wax and then

coloring the whole cloth. Remarkably, the batik technique is not as popular in the rest of the African continent,

which saw Côte d‟Ivoire specialize in this traditional art to bring their skills to unprecedented levels of

excellence. The reputation of their masterpieces is nowadays unrivaled worldwide.

Another traditional coloring method is called ‘nouage’, sometimes known as tie-dying or knotting in English.

The nouage-technique is the method of creating patterns by using strings and putting them around a rolled up

piece of cloth. After putting the whole cloth into the paint and cutting the strings off, the cloth itself will not be

colored on the places where the strings were. Like the batik method, this method can be redone by using other

colors.

In this catalogue we are presenting two different products made by Bassamoise artisans, combining major

batik techniques with other traditional manufacturing methods. The products are decorative panels and table

cloths. Although the production process itself stays almost the same, the decorative panels shine as examples

of figurative art due to the fact that the majority of picture templates are the result of individual creativity.

A Batik master at work

Decorative Panels

These artisanal works are designed using

batik techniques.

While looking through the huge variety of

motifs used, it becomes obvious that the

batiquiers get their inspiration from African

life and the continent‟s flora and fauna.

The decorative panels are colorfully

painted with pictures of African animals,

such as elephants and gazelles, or motifs

depicting rural life.

All decorative panels are made on the base

of pure cotton cloth, produced in Côte

d‟Ivoire, using artificial, resistible to sunlight

and water paints, brought from Germany.

CI01A-01FNI-003A

100x150 cm | 45 €

CI01A-01CCO-004A

35x100 cm | 25 €

CI01A-01BIB-001A

40x50 cm | 15 €

CI01A-01DSE-002A

75x100 cm | 35 €

Tablecloths

Even if also made with the same batik

technique, tablecloths differ from the styles

typically used in decorative panels (seen in

the previous pages).

These tablecloths are lovingly and

colorfully decorated with typical African

symbols and patterns. The range of colors,

design and forms is almost inexhaustible.

As well as decorative panels, table cloths

are made on the base of pure cotton cloth,

produced in Côte d‟Ivoire, using artificial,

resistible to sunlight and water paints,

brought from Germany.

6 napkins | 35,00 € 8 napkins | 45,00 € 12 napkins | 55,00 €

CI01A-07TMA-001A

CI01A-07SKE-002A

CI01A-07CRE-001A

CI01A-07TAL-001A

CI01A-07DSE-001A

CI01A-07FNI-001A

CI01A-07CMO-001A

Art

PAINTING

Overview of Ivorian Painting

Often African art is misjudged as an underdeveloped movement. The idea that local artists are trying hard to

sell their art under a „third world image‟ is completely wrong. Africa has a huge, varied and rich artistic history,

which Côte d‟Ivoire certainly and strikingly proves.

Sénoufo art, as one of the approximately 60 ethnic groups of Côte d‟Ivoire, has proven to be the fountainhead

and major inspiration of the Cubism movement. European artists like Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse have

been inspired by Sénoufo art and even visited the villages around Korhogo (the Sénoufo capital) to learn

directly from the artists and their methods. Pablo Picasso, well known as the pioneer of Cubism, was inspired

by the Korhogo cloths as well as by the traditional Korhogo skeleton. Korhogo cloth is the typical handmade

textile woven and adorned by Sénoufo people. The drawings, which depict traditional symbols and motifs, are

arranged geometrically and clearly show a huge similarity to the Cubism style.

A more recent Ivorian art style developed in the 1980s is ‘Vohou Vohou’. The ‘Vohou Vohou’ was initiated by

young artists who attended the School „Beaux Arts‟ in Abidjan. The style of this movement is called „abstract of

recuperation‟. A common characteristic is the use of texture and different mediums of art in one piece. The

artists used different materials and combined them into a single piece of art. To add color the artists mainly

used their hands or sometimes stones. This style, which has been widely followed in Côte d‟Ivoire for more

than 30 years, was taken up by US and European painters.

Artists who decide to finance their life by painting are often considered crazy or at least very daring, even in

Europe. Therefore, it is even more admirable that even in much less stable and impoverished societies like

Côte d‟Ivoire artists are trying to support their families, which are far bigger than European nuclear ones, with

the only help of their artistic skills and potential.

Most artists in Grand Bassam are organized in associations, and painters pool together. The majority of the

artists presented in this catalogue are members of a cooperative called the “Maison des Artistes”.

Maison Des Artistes in Grand Bassam

Impressionism

Impressionism occurred in Europe, more

precisely in France, in the late 19th and

early 20th century. This art movement is

characterized by its realistic depiction.

Impressionist painters were mainly inspired

by landscapes and the light in day-to-day-

life.

Naïve

In its first years, this art movement has

mainly been conducted by painters without

official art education. Naïve paintings are

characterized by a simplicity which even

seems childlike sometimes, Although at the

beginning this movement was devalued by

some; debased views about this movement

disappeared as it developed further and

was established in art schools. Côte

d‟Ivoire has been the first African country

where artists have adopted this European

movement. Currently there are even a few

renowned naïve art schools in this country.

CI01A-02YGE-006A

Yao Georges | acrylic | 60x80 cm | 519 €

CI01A-02BMI-001A

Bamba Germain | oil | 57x42 cm | 179 €

CI01A-02KMO-002A

Kouadio Moussa | oil | 69x88 cm | 309 €

Abstract

Artists have been using abstract elements

throughout art history, but following the

time when Pablo Picasso pioneered

cubism from 1910, abstract art became a

separate movement. In the 1950s this

movement spread to the Côte d‟Ivoire. The

Ivorian interpretation of Abstract is

characterized by the use of warm colors

like red and brown, which symbolize the

ground, the heat and the sun.

Cubism

The roots of this movement can be traced

back to the Sénoufo ethnicity, which is

located in Côte d‟Ivoire‟s North. It was the

Sénoufo capital, Korhogo, where Pablo

Picasso, a founding figure of Cubism, was

inspired by the characteristically geometric

motifs of the traditional Korhogo cloths.

CI01A-02LGP-008A

Paul LeGall | pigment | 60x80 cm | 715 €

CI01A-02KAK-001A

Kouassi Moise | oil | 80x60 cm | 715€

CI01A-02SMA-008A

Shirazi | oil | 72x80 cm | 109 €

Vohou Vohou

This Ivorian movement emerged in the

1980s initiated by Abidjan‟s Beaux Art

students. Dejected by the economical and

social situation, these art students used

any kind of available material for their art

works. Due to this, that movement is called

Vohou Vohou, which can be translated as

„putting anything and everything together „.

Assemblage

Assemblage is the name of a technique

where artists employ a large variety of

materials like: everyday objects such as

glasses or chairs, to elements of nature

like fruits or wood to create a three-

dimensional collage. This movement

started in the late 19th century in France

and spread from there to Côte d‟Ivoire.

CI01A-02YGE-022A

Yao Georges | acrylic | 85x55 cm | 519 €

CI01A-02KKA-022A

Alexvia | rattan, calabash | 57x41 cm | 309 €

More products we offer

• For home decoration

- masks of various ethnic groups

- wooden totems

- decorative panels

- wood carving and clay table utensils

- table cloths, curtains and pillow cases

- ebony carving lamps

- wooden cases

- tapestry and vanerie

- wood carving tabourets and chairs

- bamboo furniture

- musical instruments

• Accessories

- fetish and silver jewelry

- handbags and purses

- Woven belts

- shoes

• for collectors

- unique original items of ethnic art, like

masks, totems of any dimension, war

casks and cornes, weapons and etc.

- contemporary art of high quality:

painting, sculpture, artistic tapestry

For orders and all buying enquiries, please

contact: myorder@kachile.com

Abidjan | Grand Bassam, Côte d‟Ivoire

All pictures by Ksenia Kopylova

Copyright © Kachile

About Kachile Kachile is a newly launched, volunteer-staffed, social venture. Kachile‟s mission is to

develop viable e-commerce solutions. We create and support commercialization efforts to the numerous

artisanal communities across West Africa, most of which are operating at the bottom of the pyramid. Given the

precarious situation for the local artisans trying to sustain themselves in post-conflict Côte d‟Ivoire, Kachile is

developing a business model that seeks to promote sustainable development and economic growth and

independence within these communities while highlighting the culture, traditions, and values of the region.

Based in Grand Bassam, Côte d‟Ivoire, about 30 km away from Abidjan, West Africa‟s major port. Kachile

means “change” in the local language Baoulé.

Contact our team in Côte d‟Ivoire

- to place an order

myorder@kachile.com

- to ask questions

info@kachile.com

- to support

support@kachile.com

- to get involved

internship@kachile.com

Kachile SARL

Route de Bonoua

B.P. 751 Grand Bassam

Côte d”Ivoire

Tel: +225 21.31.23.61

E-Mail: info@kachile.com

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