West Chelsea Contemporary and Ethan Cohen Gallery Partner for “Aboudia” Exhibit in Austin

West Chelsea Contemporary (WCC) has partnered with Ethan Cohen Gallery to present one of the most prominent figures in African American Contemporary Art, Aboudia. This solo exhibition will take over half of West Chelsea Contemporary’s Austin, Texas gallery in conjunction with their Concrete to Canvas exhibit opening on Saturday, November 5 and running through Friday, December 23. On opening day, November 5, 2022, the WCC team invites the public to attend a special event from 2 – 4 p.m. featuring an in-gallery artist talk with Aboudia.

Aboudia has used his distinctive style to create pieces that have garnered international acclaim. Listed as one of the top ten most sold living artists in 2021, Aboudia’s works have been bought by some of the world’s most established collectors, including Jean Pigozzi, Frank Cohen, and Charles Saatchi, who featured Aboudia’s works in the Pangea exhibition in 2014 at his namesake gallery in London. This contemporary artist hailing from Côte d’lvoire has proved himself as the voice for his generation, and the WCC team is excited to feature six of his new works. 

The Concrete to Canvas is West Chelsea Contemporary’s third iteration of their annual exhibition at the Austin Gallery. The exhibit is a celebration of graffiti, street art, and the artists born of these movements. Epic in scope and visceral in feel, this show articulates a movement that is and will continue to be hugely influential in the history of art.

Graffiti began to appear, almost overnight, in the 1970s, with cryptic signature—tags—scrawled across New York City on subway cars, basketball courts, and building facades. Often political and deeply personal, this form of self-expression established itself apart from the typical white cube. Much of the philosophy of graffiti stemmed from a belief that art can function outside systems of law and property, and that art should be democratic and accessible to all people regardless of race, age, gender, and economic status.

To learn more about the Aboudia exhibit please visit: https://wcc.art/exhibition/aboudia-solo-exhibition/. For more information on the Concrete to Canvas exhibit please visit: https://wcc.art/exhibition/concrete-to-canvas-austin/.

About West Chelsea Contemporary:

West Chelsea Contemporary is a world-class gallery offering museum quality art in Austin, Texas and New York City focusing on 20th century and contemporary art predominantly in American, Asian and European post-war movements. West Chelsea Contemporary opened in October of 2020 under the direction of Lisa Russell who’s operated this gallery since founding Russell Collection in 2002. With this gallery rebrand, her vision is for West Chelsea Contemporary to satisfy the evolved demographic and style of Austin’s culture by showcasing everything from mid-career and emerging artists. To learn more please visit: https://wcc.art/about/.

About Ethan Cohen Gallery:

Ethan Cohen Gallery has represented both emerging and internationally renowned artists for over thirty years. Many of the emerging artists have now become household names. The gallery occupies a distinct place in contemporary art as a center of innovation across disciplines and countries. It serves artists and clientele through global art fairs, curatorial projects with top institutions, and as a center for seminal cultural events. Today Ethan Cohen Gallery has two gallery locations, one in Chelsea in the heart of New York City and the other in The Kube Art Center in Beacon, New York. To learn more please visit: https://www.ecfa.com/about/.

### Source: WCC, ECFA