Art Wash

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Art Wash is a studio and an artist-run initiative based in Douala, Cameroon. The name of the art space is related to the fact that Art Wash is situated close to the river and it wishes to be a “laundry for art”, transforming and promoting hand-made art. While being Dou Essoukan's and Koko Komégné’s atelier, Art Wash functions as an art centre and laboratory.

Artist Dou Essoukan established his atelier in the neighbourhood of Deïdo in the 1990s. In 2003 he transformed it into Art Wash, in collaboration with the artist Koko Komégné. Art Wash collaborates with Atelier Viking.^[1]

Squat'art

In 2001 and 2002 Art Wash staged a two weeks workshop - Squat’art. The idea behind Squat’art was to promote young artists who did not have the possibility of exhibiting in commercial galleries. Indeed, the paucity of galleries in Douala in the 1990s prevented emerging artists from gaining visibility and experience. The first Squat'art took place in Bali in January 2001 and involved more than twenty artists. The second edition, which was a tribute to the artist Kuoh Eyango, was organised in Deïdo from the 4th to the 17th February. The organising committee, led by the artists Koko Komégné, Dou Essoukan and Viking invited over forty artists who produced and exhibited original works.

References

Bibliography

• Yvonne Monkam, Douala: Le squatt des plasticiens, Africultures, 2002, p. 47.
• Yvonne Monkam, Koko Komégné fête quarante années d’arts plastiques: Entretien avec Koko Komégné, Africultures, 2006. [1]
• Didier Schaub, Koko Komégné. Survivre et frapper. Douala, Centre Culturel Francais Blaise Cendrars, 2006.
• Douala in Translation. A view of the city and its creative transformative potentials, edited by Doual'art and iStrike Foundation, Episode Publishers, Rotterdam, 2007.

External links

• Yann Queinnec, 2001 Video on Squat'art presented in 2003 in Paris in occasion of the exhibition Cameroun Connections [2]
• Yann Queinnec, interview [3]