Evans Mbugua ´Flower Power - Catalague - December 2021

EVANS MBUGUA






















































DUO SHOW

FLOWER POWER


4/12/21 - 9/1/22

EVANS MBUGUA
Born in 1979 in Nairobi, Kenya
Works and lives in Paris, France
























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FLOWER POWER


Rooted in the western pacifist, non violence resistance
movements and ideology of the 1960’s, the notion of ‘Flower
Power’ has since evolved and blossomed into a 21st century
global movement, and struggle, utilised by greenpeace activists,
environmentalists and anti-war groups alike.




Today, Flower Power is not simply marked by a repulsion against
the cool steel of armament development and the threat of mutually
assured destruction through the advancement of nuclear and
bio-chemical weapons, but an even more sinister threat against
humanity, and its future generations; climate change and global
warming.



Poignantly, against the backdrop of COP 26, as world leaders
convene in Europe to agree solutions to resolve the increasingly
imminent threat against global civilisation, and ratify agreements
made in Paris six years prior, Evans Mbugua, works prolifically
in his studio in the same city, to create a body of work that
addresses these issues, albeit visually, and more cryptically, but
nonetheless, no less significant and powerful.








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For Evans, a quintessential global citizen and visual artist,
rooted in Kenya, East Africa, with petals and leaves that branch
across Morocco, North Africa, to Spain and France in Europe;
Flower Power is not simply a series that captures the beauty
and sentimentality typically associated with flora, but moreso,
a rallying cry for humanity to embrace universalism, and the
mutually shared values, interests and visual language that we

all understand, and innately know, irrespective of our perceived
differences, whether real, superficial or imagined.

Evans’s unique practice of working on perspex and glass as
opposed to the more traditional canvas or wood panel that most
visual artists opt for, speaks not only to his desire to challenge
the status quo, push boundaries, explore and evolve, but
also to the reverence he has for light and reflection, and the
luminous quality and effect it has on his work, both literally and
metaphorically.










Series "Flower Power" LA JEUNE FILLE AUX FLEURS | 2021

110cm H x 90cm W | Handmade oil painting on plexiglass - ENQUIRE

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His work, when illuminated by lighting, takes on an ethereal and
spiritual quality, reminiscent of the church school stained glass
windows, depicting hallowed and respected figures that he
recalls from his childhood in Kenya. Equally, the symbolism and
significance of light, speaks to the motifs of hope, peace, and

perpetual optimism that is consistent and recurring throughout
the entirety of his oeuvre, which in equal parts radiates from every
muse he captures, and reflects off their signature sunglasses.


Moreover, it would be remiss not to note the significance of light,
as an essential component of the process of photosynthesis,
required to nourish, and support the growth of the flowers that
the artist holds dearly. For Evans, and for society at large, flowers
remain a visual and physical manifestation of the beauty, sanctity

and fragility of life, as well as the social significance and role they
have long played as markers of offering, love and humanity.











Series "Flower Power" LA FLEUR ÉTERNELLE | 2021

110cm H x 90cm W | Handmade oil painting on plexiglass - ENQUIRE

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Flower Power, is for all intents and purposes, an extension of
the artist’s philosophy on life and humanity, informed by his own
journey of personal discovery, growth and encounters thus
far. His truth stems from, and is inspired by his appreciation for
universalism, and his understanding that ultimately, in spite of
our differences, we are all the same, and as such, we should
coexist with each other, and with nature, with love, harmony,
mutual respect and peace.

Raphael Dapaah
Art writer, Consultant, Contributor
Dapaah Gallery | Polo Lifestyles Magazine | Art Plugged


SOLO & DUO SHOWS













Series "Flower Power" COEUR DES FLEURS GÉNÉREUX | 2021

110cm H x 90cm W | Handmade oil painting on plexiglass - ENQUIRE

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2021 | Flower Power – OOA Gallery – Barcelona (Spain)
Evans Mbugua – Galerie Art-Z – Paris (France)
2020 | Tu m’es indispensable – Regard Sud – Lyon (France)

Freedom is mine – OOA Gallery – Barcelona (Spain)
2019 | A spectacle now – Circle Art Gallery – Nairobi (Kenya)

2018 | Recall – Art-Z – Paris (France)
Portrait tire – Galerie Emmanuelle Rousse – Saint-Savin
(France)
Trésors d’Afrique – Maison Chaumet – Paris (France)
Dialogue – Gallery of African Art (GAFRA) – London (UK)
Identities – OOA Gallery – Barcelona (Spain)

2017 | Identities – OOA Gallery – Barcelona (Spain)
Highlife – Galerie Art-Z – Paris (France)

2016 | Evans Mbugua – Ellia Art Gallery – Paris (France)












Series "Flower Power" LE TEMPS D'UNE FLORAISON | 2021

110cm H x 60cm W | Handmade oil painting on plexiglass - ENQUIRE

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GROUP SHOWS

2021 | Art X Lagos – OOA Gallery – Lagos (Nigeria)
1-54 Art Fair London – Loft Art Gallery – London (UK)

2020 | Métamorphoses – Galerie Emmanuelle Rousse – Saint-Savin
(France)
Aspiring – ArtCo Gallery – Aachen (Germany)

1-54 New York Online Art Fair – OOA Gallery – New York
(USA)
Art X Lagos – OOA Gallery – Lagos (Nigeria)

2019 | Les Afriques Autrement – Art-Z – Paris (France)
Art X Lagos Art Fair – OOA Gallery – Lagos (Nigeria)
1-54 London Art Fair – Loft Art Gallery – London (UK)

Beirut Art Fair – OOA Gallery – Beirut (Lebanon)
Nairobi, here we Art – OOA Gallery – Barcelona (Spain)
Mon Rêve est Pop – Loft Art Gallery – Casablanca (Morocco)

Africa – Alexia Werrie Gallery – Tervuren (Belgium)
Afro Funk – Art-Z / Galerie de Photographes – Paris (France)
Afro, rencontres avec des Afriques – Galería de l’Escale –
Levallois (France)
Gallery of African Art (GAFRA) – London (UK)
Cape Town Art Fair – ArtCo Gallery – Aachen (Germany)
A spectacular now – Circle Art Gallery – Nairobi (Kenya)
London Art Fair – ArtCo Gallery – Aachen (Germany)



Series "Flower Power" LA DAME AUX FLEURS DU BONHEUR | 2021
110cm H x 90cm W | Handmade oil painting on plexiglass and unique

digital print on paper - ENQUIRE
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2018 | Background Africa - ArtCo Gallery / SoArt Gallery –
Casablanca (Morrocco)
AKAA ART FAIR – ArtCo Gallery – Aachen (Germany

Art X Lagos Art Fair – OOA Gallery – Barcelona (Spain)
Afrik’au coeur – Festival des cultures d’Afrique – Auxerre &
Yonne (Francia)

1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair – Gallery of African Art
(GAFRA) – London (UK)
ArtCo Sommerausstellung – ArtCo Gallery – Aachen
(Germany)
Portrait Tiré – Galerie Emmanuelle Rousse – France
FNB Joburg Art Fair 2018 – ArtCo Gallery – Johannesburg
(South Africa)
GAFRA Summer Exhibition – Gallery of African Art (GAFRA) –
London (UK)
Summer Group Show – OOA Gallery – Barcelona (Spain)
Bewegungen – ArtCo Gallery – Aachen (Germany)

15 Ans ! – ArtZ – París (France)
Art Paris Fair – ArtCo Gallery – París (France)
Cape Town Art Fair – ArtCo Gallery – Cape Town (South
Africa)









Series "Flower Power" SUNKISSED | 2021

110cm H x 90cm W | Handmade oil painting on plexiglass - ENQUIRE
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2017 | Exode – Galerie Emmanuelle Rousse – Saint-Savin ( France)

Expo d’été – Galerie Art-Z – Paris (France)
My collection – MoCADA Museum, New York (USA)
The ArtBall 2017 – Amref Health Africa – New York (USA)
Itinéraires – Galerie Art-Z – Paris (France)

2016 | Mode is Art – Galerie Joseph – Paris (France)
Origines et Trajectoires 2 – Piasa – Paris (France)
Style Fusion – Gallery of African Art – London (England)

Cartes et Identités – Cloîtres des Billettes (curator Olivier
Sultan) – Paris (France)
Familles – Galerie Emmanuelle Rousse – Saint-Savin (France)

Le Livre délivre – Galerie ko21 – Paris (France)
Origines et trajectoires – Piasa – Paris (France)
14ème Salon des Arts Plastiques – Centro Cultural
Communal de Pierrefitte (France)
2015 | Afriques à Venir – Galerie ko21 – Paris (France)
Afric’Art – Villetaneuse (COP21) – HCE Galerie – Mairie de
Villetaneuse (France)
La Semaine de l’Afrique – UNESCO – Paris (France)

2014 | La Semaine du Kenya – UNESCO – Paris (France)





Series "My contemporaries" SAÏDOU DICKO | 2020 | 100cm H x 45cm W

Handmade oil painting on plexiglass and unique digital print on paper - ENQUIRE

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PERFORMANCES

2016 | Etat d’urgence – Galerie de la Voûte – Paris (France)



ARTISTIC RESIDENCIES
2019 | Translation (Des Pas et des Mots) – Espaço Luanda Arte –
Luanda (Angola)
2018 | Portrait tiré – Galerie Emmanuelle Rousse – Saint-Savin
(France)
2016 | 2ème Art’Rimal – Galerie d’Art de Oujda – Oujda (Morocco)



COLLECTIONS
His works can be found in private collections in France, England,
Italy, Denmark, Spain, the United States, Kenya, Nigeria and
Morocco.


















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For enquiries please contact
Sorella Acosta
+34 618 356 351 - [email protected]
OOA Gallery - Carrer Nou 1 - 08870 Sitges - Barcelona - Spain
www.outofafricagallery.com

Out of Africa Gallery @OutofAfrica_Art @outofafricagallery