Ludovic Nkoth: You Sea Us

In Turin, from 4 March to 5 April 2021, Luce Gallery presents You Sea Us, the solo show of Ludovic Nkoth. Deeply affected by events in his life, Ludovic Nkoth investigates identity issues aiming to know his own roots. The artist reflects on the displacement of black bodies, having the direct experience of alienation of those who have moved to a foreign place and feeling judged by the skin color. As a teenager, he emigrated from Cameroon to the United States, where he is yet viewed as an African, while in his native country he is considered American. The exhibited paintings, characterized by an expressive intensity of matter and chromatic choices, tell about Africa by depicting its symbols, such as masks and Cypraea shells, but also by portraying the desperate faces of its migrants swallowed by the waves crossing the sea. You Sea Us dissects the journeys of countless immigrants migrating from the African continent to Europe in search of hope and a better tomorrow. These migrations are a direct effect of some of the gruesome things that were done to our land, our people, and now the European continent wants nothing to do with the “mess” they created. My idea was to travel to Europe and create these works on their land to show them everything they are refusing to face in their own backyard. I lived in Spain for two months and a few weeks during the pandemic, because I wanted to feel what it would even feel like to walk around that part of the world also as an immigrant. I’m not going to lie, the first weeks were the toughest because now I was also looked at as a refugee, and at times I just wanted to leave and return to my New York studio, but I knew how important being there was for me and for the practice. So, here is the conclusion of my stay “You Sea Us” help us! You Sea Us, stop killing us! You Sea Us, stop taking from us! Ludovic Nkoth Ludovic Nkoth (1994, Yaoundé, Cameroon) lives and works in New York. He holds a BFA from the University of South Carolina and is an MFA candidate at Hunter College in New York. The video of Ludovic Nkoth’s solo show “You Sea Us” - featuring the walkthrough guided by the artist’s voice -, will be available online: www.vimeo.com/lucegallery. lucegallery.com