That Gopal Dagnogo is carrying his personal history with him, I have no doubt. On the other hand, because of the way he does it – generalization, abstraction – he raises the issues to a universal level, allowing a broader interpretation for his work.
Rob Perrée analyzes the work of Gopal Dagnogo, born in Ivory Coast, living and working in Paris.
Surinam is a remarkable country. Although it is located at the north east coast of Latin America – Brazil is the neighboring country – it is seldom considered as part of that continent. Because it is close to the Caribbean islands you would assume that it is seen as part of the Caribbean. It’s not.
This remarkable, isolated position has a big influence on art in Surinam. On the kind of art, on the way it develops or does not develop, on art practice, on the identity of it, on the quality of it, on the way Surinamese art is positioned in the international art world and the art market.
Rob Perrée points out that Suriname is lost in the Caribbean.
