At Artfrofest, we celebrate those rare practices where art serves as both mirror and window reflecting lived realities while inviting deeper understanding across divides. In Théâtre des Corps – Drame de la Matière, Cameroonian artist Jean David Nkot does exactly that, completing a trilogy between Douala and Paris with a powerful, multidimensional exploration of labor, matter, and memory  .

Between Figure and Substance

Nkot begins with a visceral reconnection to the human body. In a hyperrealistic figure slices a cacao pod with machete in hand each fold of clothing, each moss‑clad branch captured in vivid detail. This painting speaks to the ongoing realities of agricultural labor in Cameroon, linking colonial legacy and contemporary extraction with a ghostly Warhol‑style backdrop  .

Feminine Land & Silent Strength

Elsewhere, scenes of women in blue pagnes — gathered over cocoa beans evoke both sisterhood and sorrow. In Po.box.pain‑and‑false‑laughter.org (2024), a lone figure’s quiet gaze breaks through festive conviviality, reminding us of unseen weariness. Their bodies, at once sensuous and strained, become metaphors for exploited land and undervalued labor  .

The Weight of Childhood

At the gallery entrance, mixed‑media works focus on hands etched against imagined maps (l’origine de nos délices.fr, 2025), naming major chocolate brands’ pledges under ILO conventions reminders of how child labor persists despite global laws. These hands are the artist’s call for accountability and our shared responsibility  .

Sculptural Resonance & Ceramics as Relics

Nkot extends his language into ceramics and sculpture. His busts and heads (e.g., Blue Bodies, 2024) rendered in earthy blues, evoke cobalt‑stained skin and echo ancient artifacts. Displayed like archaeological findings, they give voice to nameless workers   women, men, children   frozen mid‑labor, tools nowhere to be found  . On jute‑canvas portraits (Corps//matière.cm.org, 2025), youthful faces reveal both innocence and burden, woven into textured, humble surfaces  .

Mining Landscapes, soundscapes & reliquaries

The final room, Map of Resources (2025), transforms the space into a makeshift extraction site. Mud‑smeared pipes sprout glass jars of sculpted minerals aluminium, coltan, lithium while anthropomorphic figures, echoing Kota reliquaries, stand as guardians above. Scattered tools, sandals, even alcohol sachets, alongside mine‑ambient audio, forge a haunting mise‑en‑scène of material and human extraction intertwined  .

Why This Matters?

Théâtre des Corps – Drame de la Matière marks a bold expansion for Nkot from two‑dimensional portraiture into sculptural and installation realms without losing his poetic, piercing engagement with exploitation and dignity . Across paint, clay, found objects, and sound, he weaves a sensory tapestry that asks us to see how our consumption echoes in distant lives and lands. 

📅 The exhibition runs through 21 June 2025 at AFIKARIS Gallery, Paris (7 Rue Notre‑Dame‑de‑Nazareth). Curated by Christine Eyene.