Gallerist Cécile Fakhoury has created several spaces spanning the Ivory Coast, Senegal, and France to showcase works by both established and up-and-coming African artists. In this interview she speaks with TLmag about the current exhibitions, how artists work across multiple worlds, and the imperative of physical shows rather than their digital alternatives.
TLmag: You have created several exhibition spaces, with different purposes, in multiple countries. Could you give some background on the process and intention of creating these galleries?
Cécile Fakhoury (CF): I used to work in Paris, in auction houses and different art galleries, and I’d also often spend time in the Ivory Coast and West Africa. I decided to move to Abidjan in 2010, and I opened my first gallery space there in 2012. The concept of developing a gallery came from being in touch with a lot of different artists, who were very responsive to the idea. There were already some galleries in the area at the time,