Artists

Ndayé Kouagou

Press release

Gathering is pleased to present a solo exhibition of new work by Ndayé Kouagou (b. 1992 in Paris, France), on view from 29 November 2024–22 February 2025.

Evolving from self-authored texts which are then expanded upon through performance, film, textiles, sculpture and installation, Kouagou manipulates the language of aphorism espoused by online influencers and self-help gurus.

Ndayé Kouagou’s work is shaped by a gentle intention-not to confront his audience, but to draw them in, inviting a surrender to the dreamscapes of his video installations. A Message for Everybody asks us to engage with the presentation on our own account.

Kouagou moves as a performer, with play as his compass and point of origin. Here, viewers drift, unguarded, into realms where reality softens, and imagination takes the helm. The artist questions the beginning and the end. The spaces we gradually enter – into within the gallery, allow us access to new places and spaces, hereby exploring the capacity of imagination beyond time and space. Kouagou carves out and claims modestly yet forcefully space with and within these works-both in body and spirit-to reveal how the “idea of Black identity,” might be unraveled by the stories we choose to tell. What you see is what you see and what we see is coded.