Weary of the hectic pace of life in Ivory Coast’s vast economic hub of Abidjan, artists are moving 30 kilometres down the coast to Grand-Bassam. Painter and gallery founder Ibrahim Ketoure says that when he first visited the town, "there were artists, artisans everywhere. I said to myself 'hey, this could be an environment in which I can develop', and that’s how I fell in love."
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00:00When I was a student at the School of Fine Arts, I was the head of the department of
00:31Fine Arts in Bassam. I understood that it was a touristic city, very lively, with artists
00:39and craftsmen everywhere. I thought that this was the place where I could evolve. And that's
00:47how I had this heart attack.
01:00We can work and find big institutions to finance us, but when we do that, we are not
01:07usually seen. It is the one who comes to finance, who beats the whole big part. If there is
01:24a problem, it is the one who comes to solve it.
01:37If there is money, if there is something to give, it is them who take more than the artist
01:45in question. So we decided to self-finance ourselves.
01:50La Maison des Artistes is an association of 21 artists. This association allows us to present
01:57the work of each artist, to have more visibility, opportunities to sell, to exhibit.