Florence Béal-Nénakwé
website
Welcome – oil on canvas of flax 36*29 inches - 2006
Cameronian artist painter
www.beal-nenakwe.com
Florence Béal-Nénakwé. She's the one it is about.
Everything is original in her; her personality, her language, her spirit and, of course, her painting. Yes, her painting.
Florence has the name of a queen of her country.
For this reason, she had the privilege to spend her spare time and her holidays childhood in Chefferie Bangangté-City. There, she visited, made acquaintance, and then integrated diverse sources of inspirations into herself: from the largest collections of masks made of wood or earth, the strangest coloured motifs which literally animated the cabins of the wives of the king, to the necklaces with geometrical forms tattooed on the neck of her aunt. The initiation, in the most beautiful meaning of the word started. Then, back home, althaigh she was just a child, Florence tried to reproduce the forms and the colors which had dazzled her.Not to mention the mockeries of her friends in the classroom. Then, Florence closed up again, like an oyster, in order to avoid being the laughing stock of these people who surrounded her and whom, however,she loved.
Then, she forgot all this.
Until the day when, ten or so years later, she became aware of what she really was: a woman with a clear mind, with lots of integrity, a woman in love with her roots. Without her knowing it, these roots had given rise to a fantastic life-giving power.
The spirit of creation she had as an adult prolonged the initiation she got in her childhood.
From now on, Florence paints in spite of herself. She paints. She paints. She does not stop. The flood of images she contained during all these years pours out in the life of today. All these images of childhood, the sun, nature and humanity arise now with an astonishing maturity: the beauty of the forms, the pure expression of the colors, their free, playful sensuality.
What a splendid lesson of life!
But let us not be misled. Florence does not copy; She imitates nothing or nobody. The internal energy from her native Cameroun and her personal life are enough to make her express this cheerfulness and this hope on a canvas.
An artist who marked the history of Art stated: "I do not seek, I find". We knew the sources of his esthetic way and today we know what he found. Thus we know where Florence Béal-Néanakwé has the wisdom and the talent to keep on seeking. She's still the one it is about today.
Guy Lefevre. Director of Luminier (Cultural space of Chassieu near Lyon)
Solo exhibitions
* Philippe Lawson gallery, 16 rue des Carmes 75005 Paris – 2nd half of 2007 www.philippelawson.com
* African Museum « Colors of my chilhood », Lyon – 21 February to 18 March 2007
* Towm hall of Lyon (4th district) «Forms and colors», Lyon – 21 June to 3 July 2005
* The «Cubisme in the feminine», Cultural space « Le Luminier », Chassieu – 17 January to 11 February 2005
* « A cold month, a warm color », Cultural space « Le Briscope », Brignais – 6 to 22 January 2005
* Carré Bellecour, Lyon – 1 to 31 December 2004
* Cultural space « Albert Camus », Bron – 2 November 2004 to 15 February 2005
* Town hall of Lyon (3th district) « Colors of my chilhood », Lyon – 16 to 29 September 2004
* Novotel Hôtel Lyon Valvert, Lyon - June-September 2004
* Méridien Hôtel Part-Dieu, Lyon – 10 May to 3 June 2004
Collectives exhibitions
*Festival of Panafricain Film of Cannes « Glances of women »- 10 to 15 April 2007
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* 8th International art fair of Zurich (Suisse) – 18 to 22 October 2006
* 27th Artistic international show of Haute-Loire au Puy en Velay(43) – 12 to 27 August 2006
* Exhibition of contemporary art, "Set Afrique/Sorelle di rabbia" , Lecce (Italie) - Guillermina de Gennaro, curator - 7July to 20 August 2006
* Koussam gallery, International exhibition african contemporary artists « Blue trap-door spider», Cannes – 22 May to 31 December 2006
* 50th Winter show of Lyon – 14 January to 5 February 2006
* Africans memories and resonances in VH Créations workshop, Villeurbanne – 5 to 28 January 2006
* 30th Show of the artistic association, Ecully – 17 to 27 November 2005
* 56th Show of the grouping of the artists, Vienne – 22 to 30 October 2005
* 6th Show of independents, Lyon – 20 to 26 October 2005
* 27th Show of the association of the painters, Brignais – 29 January to 10 February 2005 * « Lights of artists », Lyon – 15 to 26 November 2004
Presse review
Television
* Invited emission Ô Quotidien (France Ô TV) - October 2006
* Report on the artist work (South TV) - September 2006
* Report exhibition of Lecce (Italian television) - July 2006
* Passage in the large newspaper of the Festival of Cannes (Channel +) - May 2006
Presse écrite
• * Article in Amina Magazine – 2007
* Article on cameroun-line.com – March 2007
* Article « Colors of african chilhood », Progrès de Lyon, 22 February 2007
* Article « Colors of Africa », Bron Magazine, December 2006
* Article on Basango.com – July 2006
* Article on Grioo.com -July 2006
* Article on griooworld.com – July 2006
* Article in Magazine « Culture of women » - February 2006
Magnie – Oil on canvas of flax
36*29 inches - 2006
Freedom to think – Oil on canvas of flax
36*29 inches - 2006
African carnival – Oil on canvas of flax
26*32 inches - 2004
Woman-guitar – Oil on canvas of flax 26*32 inches - 2004
African King – Oil on canvas of flax
32*24 inches - 2004
Musical love – Oil on canvas of flax
26*32 inches – 2004
Egyptian goddess with tom-tom – Oil on canvas of flax 32*40 inches - 2004
African women – Oil on canvas of flax
40*29 inches - 2004
Drawing N°4 – Oil on paper
20*26 inches - 2005
Drawing N°42 – Oil on paper
20*26 inches - 2005
Drawing N° 64 - Oil on paper 20*26 inches - 2004