Les Abidjanais VII

An Ivorian photographer and visual artist based in France, Jean-Louis N'Cho is self-taught. He began taking photographs with a simple phone, unable to afford a camera, and made it his signature. Since 2016, he has developed a practice that explores identity, memory, spirituality and our relationship with the environment.

Drawing on the cultures and masks of Côte d'Ivoire, his work builds bridges between cultural heritage and the contemporary world. It questions how traditions continue to live, transform and enter into dialogue with the present. In series such as Les Abidjanais and Mondoukou, he combines street scenes with Akan and Adinkra symbols.