Ilídio Candja Candja Mozambican, b. 1976

Overview
Ilídio Candja Candja
Isis, 2020

"Ilídio Candja Candja’s painting isn’t about creating a critical position, instead it is an artistic, aesthetic and cultural practice analogous to those who are guided by intuition, starting from the premise that art invents ways of inhabiting the world. The artist invites us to inhabit his world, sharing with us things that he is sensitive to, including a remix of thoughts and ideas of the past, present and future."

 

- Victor Pinto

In his paintings, Mozambican-born artist Ilídio Candja Candja draws the audience into a personal exploration of his playful and dynamic energy. Executed in a style resonant with Abstract Expressionism and Action Painting, his works are characterized by spontaneous and confident brush strokes. Inspired by his heritage, the riot of colors, personal symbols and African textile prints all serve to infuse his canvases with both a psychological and visual vibrancy.

 

These painted collages by Candja Candja are a compelling combination of cultural reflection and personal symbology. From abstracted backgrounds arise restless figures that belong to the artist’s own constructed mythology. Impulsive and aggressive gestures that reference Action Painting come together to create blurred ghosts, demonic entities, arachnids, and skeletons. An enigmatic tension arises in the work with the layering of more subtle geometrical and mathematical objects, photographs, and decorative elements taken from traditional African art and textiles. Candja Candja’s art is a contemplation on the African culture combined with a pursuit of exploring his own restless spirit.

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Works
Biography
Illídio Canja Canja | Image courtesy of Manuel Roberto-Porto
Illídio Canja Canja | Image courtesy of Manuel Roberto-Porto
Ilídio Candja Candja (b. 1976, Maputo, Mozambique) received his education at the Visual Art School of Maputo from 1997 to 1999. He currently resides in Porto, Portugal. Candja has had numerous solo exhibitions, including "Black Silence in the Form of Chocolate" at Johnson Lowe Gallery in Atlanta, USA (2023), "The Magnificence, Light and Fusion" at Galeria São Mamede in Lisbon, Portugal (2022), and "Octopus & Myopia" at Galerias Municipais de Lisboa (Galeria Quadrum), curated by Rafael Bordalo Mouzinho (2021). His work has also been showcased internationally at venues such as Galerie Le Sud in Zurich, Switzerland, and Galerie Frederic Storme in Lille, France. Candja's participation in group exhibitions spans across Europe and Africa, including the Museum Miramar in Sitges-Barcelona, Spain, and the Modern Art Museum in Cartagena, Murcia, Spain. His work is part of prestigious collections, including the Marcshall & Stephanie Abes collection in Atlanta, USA, and the Spier Art Collection in Cape Town, South Africa.
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Exhibitions
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