Born in 1966, Sinfra, Republic of Ivory Coast. Lives and works in Essen, Germany.

Jems Robert Koko Bi is a rising figure in contemporary art in Côte d’Ivoire. Alumnus of the Dusseldorf Academy of Arts after being a student at the National Higher Institute of Arts and Culture Action (INSAAC) in Abidjan, this regular guest of the Dakar Biennial and several other international events excels in cutting and burning wood, which is his favourite material. He is comfortable with figurative forms as well as with abstract and conceptual constructions. The works he presents in Venice deal with the struggle for power (see Installation de chaises) on the one hand, and the ‘brain drain’ (see Convoi royal) on the other.