‘Water movements inspire my art’ – Allistair Irié Bi

Allistair Irié Bi is an Ivorian visual artist known for his unique paintings and colours. He speaks about being inspired by an older artist and carving a niche for himself in the industry. Allistair Irié Bi, is one of Ivory Coast’s well-known contemporary artistes whose signature wavy water-like works and colours have garnered him a […]

Allistair Irié Bi is an Ivorian visual artist known for his unique paintings and colours. He speaks about being inspired by an older artist and carving a niche for himself in the industry.

Allistair Irié Bi, is one of Ivory Coast’s well-known contemporary artistes whose signature wavy water-like works and colours have garnered him a lot of fans. In this interview with Arts & Ideas he speaks about his inspiration and unique art style.

 

How did you get into visual art?

I would say that it was when I started attending the National School of Fine Arts that I really got into visual art. It was there that I developed the love for painting and it was there that I started to participate in the exhibitions. I have been passionate about art since my childhood and have ended up becoming a Visual Arts in a school of girls in Ivory Coast. After obtaining my baccalaureate I was finally able to enter the National School of Fine Arts of Abidjan through a selection process that was like a contest.

What are the things in your environment that influenced your art?

The colorful paintings of the great Ivorian painter Soro Pehouet have greatly influenced my art. He is an artist who prides himself on knowing how to give value to the fragmentation of colorful stain forms.

You have a unique style. Tell us, please, and how it all started.

It must be said that I started this style in 2015 and it was inspired by the movement of water. It all started after a dream of the time, in which I painted colorful waves and that impressed me a lot. I told myself that water is a source of life and that its role was no different from that of the artist that I am as one who communicates life, joy through my works.

Are you able to coach people to follow in this style?

Oh yes. Why not? If the opportunity presents itself to me, I will not hesitate.

Who or what was your biggest inspiration?

My biggest inspiration was a painting made from an image of selling fish at the water’s edge.

What themes do you focus on in your work and why?

Previously, I worked on the bus station scenes. I am working today on mother and child relationships because the mother plays a very important role in the education and the future of a child in a home.

How has your art changed over the years and what has influenced this transformation?

My art has transformed over the years with a lot of effort that I have given myself in the work. I always have found the time to create, to make new research while inspiring myself with different art styles and techniques. It is after all these efforts that I have led for a few years, that I was able to transform my art.

In addition, your choice of colors is unique. Why do you work with these colors?

If you notice very well the colors that are repeated each time in my works are the colors of Africa borrowed from the earth. So I work with these colors because they represent the colors of my Africa. We can also mention the Belgian colours – ocher and brown.

What is your favorite tool and why?

My favorite tool is the brush because with him I express myself best.

Can you tell us about your most difficult piece to date?

Each of my achievements has always been difficult and I like difficult things. It allows me to improve as the years go by.

Are there some of your works that you have been unable to give up?

Of course, yes. (Laughter) There are some of them because for me to separate from a work is like separating from a child of the same blood as us and it is often painful.

What are you working on now?

I am currently working on a series of works. They are in the framework of a future exhibition that will focus on the theme of culture and social cohesion during a cultural festival.