1054 31st STREET, NW       WASHINGTON, D.C. 20007

Ephrem Kouakou an Ivory Coast native, has exhibited his work in the United States, Switzerland, Belgium, and France.  His paintings are a blend of African and Western imagery in a rapturous dance of color and line that have as much to do with music as they do plastic arts.  His bold folk art, inspired by his native culture, includes themes of fertility, brotherhood, the strength and the power of women, passion for life, and the understanding of sacrifice, reflection, and the inward journeys.  His work transcends tradition and speaks of universal ideals, blending proud ancestry with modern culture.  His canvases borrow from familiar archetypal images but the artist twists them into something contemporary and spiritual and very much his own iconography. 

The artist says the he is like a blind person walking down the street with only his brush to guide him across the virgin canvas. 

Kouakou left his village in the Ivory Coast for Algeria and from there he moved to France where he began his art studies at the school of Beaux Arts, Angers.  He now lives here in Washington, DC.  

Parish Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, from noon to 6 pm; other hours by appointment.