Ihosvanny

“My work explores cities in different forms, from architecture to the portraits of those who inhabit them, from symbols of consumerism to abandoned corners. This creates a narrative that traces an incessant search for human essence in relation to urban space.

The city of Luanda, with its contradictions and chaos, has been an inexhaustible source of inspiration in my work. Diving into a universe where the greyscale of concrete predominates, I play with collective memory through images of daily life; my objective to give a global vision to local particularities, rescuing forgotten places and the lives of common citizens from painful anonymity.

Painting is my principal method of communication, but I also mix other techniques, such as collage, photography, prints, video and animation. These different means and media come together in my work to serve as sharp visual poetry”.

Biography

“Ihosvanny” (Angola, 1975) is a self-taught artist. His practice comprises painting, video, and installation, which he uses to apprehend the physical chaos and psychic experiences of urbanism. He is part of the new generation of Angolan artists born in the wake of the country’s independence. Luanda’s cityscape provides a constant source of material for Ihosvanny’s work: scenes of disorder and arrest are transmuted and synthesized into a reflective visual lexicon. Dividing his life and practice between Barcelona and Luanda, Ihosvanny’s work has been included in exhibitions at the Jewish Museum, New York (2014); Museu de Arte Moderna da Bahia, Salvador (2012); the 11th Havana Art Biennial, (2012); the Luanda Triennial (2010, 2007); and the African Pavilion at the 52nd Venice Biennale (2007), among others.

Selected works