See? Not that difficult (2023)

Ndayé Kouagou is an artist whose practice stems from written texts that develop into performances, installations, and sculptures. Kouagou’s text-based works are immersive and captivating, often breaking the fourth wall. In his practice, Kouagou subverts the intended function of language, using it to incite confusion as opposed to clarity. Asking a multitude of existential questions, yet giving very few answers, Kouagou speculates whether art can engender real thought or change. 

See? Not that difficult (2023) belongs to a series of works where rhetorical statements are hung on the wall – with no prior context given. A mixture of resin, fabric and printed PVC, Kouagou’s pseudo-painterly sculptures transition between layers of clarity and opacity. Overlaid with bold, capital lettering, See? Not that difficult acts as a mini billboard, converting a passive viewer into an active one. Both works, though conceived as individuals, are extensions of each other, actively blurring boundaries between the stage and the behind the scenes, the inner and societal, the truthful and constructed.

Bury Art Museum & Sculpture Centre has been actively developing its Text Art Archive, focusing on language art; through the Contemporary Art Society, Bury Art Museum acquired works by Janice Kerbel and Samson Kambalu in 2015 and 2020 respectively. A significant addition to the Text Art Archive, the acquisition of Ndaye Kouagou’s works also reflect the museum's commitment to addressing the representation imbalance in their permanent collection.