Ndayé Kouagou

Born in 1992, Ndayé Kouagou is a French author, performer and video artist who lives in Le Perreux-sur-Marne. His work revolves around original texts, printed on walls, displayed on mounted or hanged supports, broadcast on video or performed live. With a musical composition or in the form of monologues, the artist multiplies the ways in which he addresses the public in his performances. Feigning naivety and confusion, he expresses intimate reflections on subjects such as freedom, love, the quest for identity and open-mindedness. Although the questions he raises in his work are personal, they resonate with everyone. Self-taught, he entered the contemporary art scene first as a writer, then as a performer. He has presented his work at Auto Italia South East (London), Wiels (Brussels), Centrale Fies (Dro/Italy), Centre Pompidou and Lafayette Anticipations (Paris), where he also launched his YBR (Young Black Romantics) publishing project. In 2023, he presented his project “The Guru” at the Fondation Louis Vuitton (Paris) and his first solo institutional exhibition at the Frac Île-de-France (Paris). In 2024, he is one of three winners of the ADAGP’s International Connexion Grant. Ndayé Kouagou is represented by Gallery Nir Altman (Munich) and Gathering (London).