The Invisible City: Obou Gbais

LouiSimone Guirandou Gallery is pleased to present The Invisible City, a solo exhibition by Ivorian artist Obou Gbais, on view from May 21 to July 4, 2026.

With this new project, Obou Gbais explores contemporary urban realities in Abidjan, focusing on territories often pushed to the margins: informal settlements. Through a series of new works, the artist brings visibility to these dense, unstable, yet deeply vibrant spaces, revealing both their complexity and vitality.

Known for his use of the Dan mask as a central motif, Obou Gbais introduces a shift in his practice. While the figure does not entirely disappear, it recedes, making way for a closer focus on urban structures. Precarious architectures, invisible circulation networks, and layered compositions become central elements, positioning the city itself as the primary subject.

Through aerial perspectives and saturated compositions, the artist develops a sensitive cartography of these environments. His work highlights the social dynamics that shape them: collective organization, survival strategies, and constant adaptation. Though often perceived as temporary, these spaces endure and play a crucial role in shaping the urban landscape.

Born in 1992 in Guiglo (Côte d’Ivoire), Obou Gbais lives and works in Berlin. He trained at the École nationale des Beaux-Arts in Abidjan, where he obtained a Master’s degree in Painting in 2019. His work engages with the living conditions in precarious urban environments while paying tribute to the communities that inhabit them.

Deeply rooted in the urban environment, Obou Gbais develops a constantly evolving practice that extends beyond the studio. While firmly situated within the field of contemporary art, he has also engaged with public space through interventions on walls, buildings, and collaborations involving everyday objects. These experiences inform a practice that remains in close dialogue with the city and contribute to a broader circulation of his work. This approach, which at times resonates with certain dynamics of urban practices, reinforces the visual and contextual impact of his work.

Obou Gbais’ work has been exhibited in Côte d’Ivoire and internationally. He notably participated in the group exhibition Whispers of Archives – Tracing Hans Himmelheber at the Musée des Cultures Contemporaines Adama Toungara (MUCAT), alongside artists such as Klervie Mouho and Jems Koko Bi. Since 2020, his work has also been shown across Europe, including in France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Germany.

With The Invisible City, Obou Gbais offers a renewed reading of the urban landscape, inviting viewers to pay attention to what, though present, often remains unseen.

*Press Contact : Bérénice Badobré / berenice@louisimoneguirandou.gallery