Victor Fotso Nyie is a contemporary artist whose work is centred on figurative sculptures, which are often portraits that meld the form of traditional African wood statuettes with imaginative science fiction characters. he iconography of the double-baked clay figures, which were subjected to a third firing with gold, merges biographical elements with Pan-African vernacular culture, particularly the spiritual knowledge from West Africa. In Malinconia (2020), a homage to one of his two sisters, a young woman stands before a mirror. Her gaze, deeply introspective, reveals sentiments of loneliness and melancholy. The portrait conveys the precarious balance between her gentle beauty and the fragility of life. A sentiment of nostalgia surfaces in the work Veglia (2023), a tribute to his late beloved mother, who is represented as a dormant head in a deep slumber, with her hair tied back and a subtle smile. Gioia (2023) is a portrayal of the artist’s other sister. It features the head of a young girl, her joyous expression encapsulating youth’s optimism, enthusiasm, and carefreeness, all captured by the artist with a wistful and tender gaze.
This is the first time the work of Victor Fotso Nyie is presented at Biennale Arte.
—Mariella Franzoni
