Kafana Soro

Born in 1991 in Mankono in the north of Côte d'Ivoire, Kafana Soro comes from a family of craftsmen. As the son of a blacksmith, he spent his childhood in woodwork and metalsmith workshops. Following the advice of his art teacher, he joined INSAAC in Abidjan, where he explored clay work through monumental sculpture with Koffi Donkor. However, as he furthered his apprenticeship under Jems Koko Bi, wood became his preferred material.

Equipped with his chainsaw, Kafana Soro communicates with the material and becomes one with the wood. Through his introspective practice, he questions his identity, deeply rooted in ancestral Senoufo traditions, yet influenced by foreign cultures. He embarks on a quest for an intangible place, a state of equilibrium. Imbued with spirituality, symbolism, and morality, the works he creates testify to this journey.