{"id":575924,"date":"2026-07-30T18:50:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T18:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/575924\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T18:50:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T18:50:10","slug":"artists-find-creative-haven-in-cote-divoires-calm-and-soothing-grand-bassam-cote-divoire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/575924\/","title":{"rendered":"Artists find creative haven in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire\u2019s \u2018calm and soothing\u2019 Grand Bassam | C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire"},"content":{"rendered":"

By the poolside of La Fourchette de R\u014dze hotel in Grand Bassam, a C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire<\/a> city sandwiched between the \u00c9bri\u00e9 lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean, a birthday party was in progress. On the second-floor gallery, the artist Nuits Baln\u00e9aires stood by a huge painting in one corner and looked out through the window towards the billowing waves of the Atlantic Ocean.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s poetic \u2026 that immense energy of the ocean, which also fuels my work,\u201d the Ivorian visual artist said. \u201cThe natural elements are the very essence and foundation of my artistic practice,\u201d he added, as he reflected on the way in which his name, which translates as \u201ccoastal nights\u201d, matched the ambience.<\/p>\n

Many families in Abidjan, the commercial capital of the west African country, have often drifted to Grand Bassam, just 30 miles (45km) to the east, for Sunday relaxation, including Nuits Baln\u00e9aires, whose visits from childhood gave him a strong connection to the city. In July 2019 he moved there permanently from his family home in Abidjan.<\/p>\n

Nuits Baln\u00e9aires shows a print from his latest project, Eboro, winner of the Latitudes programme of the Herm\u00e8s Corporate Foundation.<\/p>\n

In the last decade, it has become a road well travelled. As rents continue to rise amid a cost of living crisis in Abidjan, residents there, especially artists, have been reconsidering their lives in the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt [is] increasingly difficult for many artists to maintain studio spaces in the city,\u201d said the Abidjan-based art collector Ozong Agborsangaya-Fiteu. \u201cAs a result, they are seeking more affordable alternatives in places such as Grand Bassam, Bingerville, and increasingly even farther afield in Dabou and Jacqueville. Grand Bassam itself is becoming more expensive, prompting some artists to relocate even farther out.\u201d<\/p>\n

The biggest beneficiary of the exodus from Abidjan has undisputedly been Grand Bassam, the country\u2019s first capital where the colonial architecture was listed as a Unesco world heritage site in 2012. With its scenic beachfronts, fresher food, cheaper markets, proximity to the airport and a sense of nostalgia even in the abandoned colonial buildings, the city represents an easier pick than Abidjan, its livelier and more chaotic cousin.<\/p>\n

The shores of the Ouladine lagoon in Grand Bassam. Photograph: Aicha Fall\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

This, for the Guadeloupe-born artist Elladj Lincy Deloumeaux, makes it \u201ca very calm and soothing place that\u2019s conducive to working and finding inspiration\u201d. Five years ago, he moved from Paris to Abidjan, and then two years ago to Grand Bassam, where he now has a studio and apartment.<\/p>\n

Once a centre of cultural trade and tourism, Grand Bassam lost some of its appeal over the years as Abidjan became more cosmopolitan and opportunities in arts and entertainment increased. A jihadist attack in 2016 that left 19 people dead also punctured the town\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n

Ganamet House is an architectural jewel of Grand Bassam. Built around 1900, today it serves as a restaurant and a place for events such as underground parties or exhibitions. Photograph: Aicha Fall\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

These days, evidence of its renaissance abounds.<\/p>\n

Last year, the former colonial customs and post office building was reopened after a restoration project as La Maison de l\u2019Art, a contemporary art museum with a sculpture garden and a cafe in the courtyard. At the launch, the culture minister, Fran\u00e7oise Remarck, said the collaboration between the private and public sector to protect local history and shine a spotlight on the country\u2019s modern art was a \u201cfresh breath of life\u201d to the old city.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, we are doing much more than opening the doors of a space dedicated to art,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are taking an act of recognition and appreciation of African artistic genius.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other organisations in the vicinity are following the same route. La Fourchette de R\u014dze, a boutique hotel, has become a creative hub: in January 2023, it began an artist-in-residence programme that has brought in more than two dozen artists and musicians so far from all over the globe, including Nuits Baln\u00e9aires. La Cocoteraie des Arts, a creative space with an open-air art atelier and gallery in Mondoukou, only a few minutes outside the city, also offers artist residences.<\/p>\n

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Guests at the Fourchette de Roze hotel, which has become a creative hub. Photograph: Aicha Fall\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

Across Grand Bassam, dozens of new studios are popping up across the city. Later this year, the Ivorian-French photographer A\u00efcha Fall will add another to that number.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in the French countryside and I\u2019ve always loved a place that is calm,\u201d said Fall, who moved to Grand Bassam on her return from Paris in 2023, despite an attachment to Abidjan where she had spent her early years. \u201cBassam represents all of that. It offers you time for reverie, unlike Abidjan, which is always effervescent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some enthusiastic followers of the art scene are predicting that the city could eventually upstage Abidjan as an art haven in the coming years, or at least rival it.<\/p>\n

Not everyone within the industry is as optimistic. Most of C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire\u2019s galleries and art institutions remain in Abidjan, as do many of the collectors, patrons and other important elements of the ecosystem. Festivals such as Abidjan art week<\/a>, for example, still bring people in from across the continent and are yet to be replicated elsewhere in the country.<\/p>\n

Sculptures by Jems Koko Bi, photography by Armand Gauze and a painting by Ablade Glover exhibited at La Maison de l\u2019Art. Photograph: Aicha Fall\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

\u201cRather than weakening the scene, this geographical shift has created a different dynamic,\u201d Agborsangaya-Fiteu said. \u201cArtists benefit from more affordable and inspiring places to work while remaining close enough to the city to participate in exhibitions, openings, and other cultural activities whenever needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he sipped his coffee, legs crossed, Nuits Baln\u00e9aires agreed, before pointing out that the situation was a bit like having his cake and eating it. \u201cOne of the advantages is that in Bassam, you can feel very disconnected, yet at the same time, you\u2019re not that far removed from what\u2019s happening in Abidjan.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By the poolside of La Fourchette de R\u014dze hotel in Grand Bassam, a C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire city sandwiched between…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":575925,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[307,304,305,306,308,93,61,60],"class_list":["post-575924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=575924"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575924\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/575925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=575924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=575924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=575924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}