Rock art
The first pictorial traces were discovered in the Tibesti caves. The oldest of these rock paintings and engravings date back to 5000 BC. Tibesti is home to two hundred engraving sites and some sixty paintings. The motifs are generally inspired by wildlife. Among the oxen and giraffes are a few round-headed figures. Later, polychromy was added to the stick figures. Everyday scenes also appear: huts, harps, hunting, grain grinding.
The Ennedi desert is a veritable open-air museum of prehistory. The spectacular massifs of northern Chad are famous for their arches, but also for their rock art. The Archéi and Manda Guéli caves are home to superb paintings of dromedaries. These are from the camel period. White and brown, these dromedaries are ridden by men, some of whom wear a chèche. In the first millennium, we distinguish between the Gribi style, characterized by movement, and the Keymena style, associated with static subjects. Cattle can also be seen on these walls. Nowhere else in the Sahara can you find such fine craftsmanship.
More recent paintings from the Terkeï site (between 2000 and 500 B.C.) show horsemen in a good state of preservation. The Caballine period follows the Cameline period. Galloping riders are the main subject of these large frescoes. Even more astonishing, one of these caves features a 1.70 m-wide painting of a cow. Remains from the prehistoric period, as well as artifacts from the modern and colonial eras, can be admired at the Musée National du Tchad in N'Djaména.
The art of the Sao
At the crossroads of the Arab and sub-Saharan worlds, Chad is a cultural mosaic. The Sao population comprised several groups, most likely originating from Lake Chad. Around 2000 B.C., the Sao developed a sophisticated civilization, as attested by the metal objects found during excavations. Very early on, the Sao mastered the art of working with clay and ceramics. Everyday objects, jewelry and toys, as well as human and animal figurines, were produced in terracotta. Later, the Sao adopted bronze, copper and iron.
In all of Black Africa, the Sao are the only people to produce human sculptures limited to the head. Richly decorated with stippling, they feature prominent ears and incised eyes.
Common in the art of the Kotoko, descendants of the Sao, the equestrian figurine is intended for the cult of possession. Through its intermediary, a priest helps the possessed to cohabit with a spirit. These sculptures demonstrate a rare aesthetic freedom. A tendency towards abstraction and stylization makes these sculptures even more fascinating. The Kotoko attribute a mythical origin to copper, giving it a protective power.
Modern painting
Due to a lack of structure, most Chadian painters are self-taught. They do, however, find art centers and associations offering courses in the plastic arts and places to exhibit. Institutions such as theInstitut français du Tchad and hotels have also adopted a program of acquisitions and exhibitions. In this context, private initiatives play an essential role. The latest of these is the Afrotopia art gallery and project in the Habena district, which aims to reveal young talent and professionalize Chadian culture.
Founded in 2010, the Grenier des peintres tchadiens - Dabanga presents itself as a professional circle of contemporary artists. The official launch took place at the Musée National in N'Djamena in 2012. It brings together all the big names on the current scene, with each artist free to pursue his or her own pictorial explorations. Traditions are revisited through contemporary trends. Key members include Ibrahim Tidjani, Ahmat Hassan Kirdassi, Abdelkader Badaoui, Eloge Dom-Houdel, Sainto Teyanbaye, Salma Khalil Alio, Dounia Tog Yangar and Doff.
Badaoui and the art of the sign
Born in 1954 in N'Djaména, Abdelkader Badaoui is an internationally renowned painter, sculptor and designer. A self-taught artist, he is involved in the development of art training courses and in promoting the growth of contemporary Chadian art. His works can be found in the permanent collections of institutions, and in public and private spaces in the city of N'djamena.
Badaoui draws inspiration from signs of all origins. He revisits Arabic calligraphy, combining it with geometric motifs or collages. He adopts all kinds of techniques and media to explore them. After working on stage sets for plays, Badaoui was invited to take part in the Biennale des Arts Plastiques Africains in Abidjan, Congo, then in France.
Tidjani the pro
Tidjani Brahim was born in 1960 in N'Djamena. He trained in museology in Côte d'Ivoire. Initially self-taught, he began exhibiting in 1987 at cultural institutions such as the Centre des collégiens et lycéens (CCL), now Centre Emmanuel, and the Centre culturel français (CCF) in N'Djamena and Ouagadougou.
His style, associated with naive art, is inspired by everyday scenes. He paints small, humorous pictures in gouache, which have earned him a certain recognition. On the strength of this popularity, he enrolled in an academic training program at the Beaux-arts d'Abidjan. But his work was severely criticized by the academy. This was an opportunity for him to start afresh, acquiring the academic foundations to better develop his personal style.
A professional in the cultural milieu, both in practice and management, Tidjani cites Badaoui as one of his references, whom he considers a pioneer of Chadian painting.
Kirdassi, the colors of Chad
Ahmat Hassan Kirdassi's first exhibition took place in 1996 at the Al Mouna cultural center in N'Djamena. This collective event marked the start of an international career. From an early age, Kirdassi was fascinated by all artistic trends. His universe blends subjects inspired by his surroundings and his imagination. Figurative or abstract, her oil paintings on canvas or wood are seductive. The flamboyant colors of his palette are, in his eyes, a way of following in the footsteps of Picasso, whose work has always fascinated him. Kirdassi is considered the painter of Chad's colors. As such, he paints ancient civilizations, traditions and nomadic transhumance.
Subsequently, he regularly exhibited at official venues in the capital, such as the US Embassy and the French Institute. N'Djamena's major institutions and hotels proudly display his paintings. He also likes to paint on the slates of Koranic schools, whose original shape lends itself to assemblages. Recovered objects are used in other compositions.
Inspired by the rock paintings of the Ennedi and ancient ruins, Kirdassi's works alert us to the need to protect our national heritage. His Toumaï painting evokes the fossil skull discovered in Chad, in the Djourab desert. This specimen confirmed that the human lineage was of African origin. In Kirdassi's work, the skull seems to emerge from the magma.
Salma Khalil, committed artist
Salma Khalil is one of Chad's few female artists. Born in 1982 in N'Djamena, Khalil is a painter, photographer, designer and poet. After growing up in Germany, she invested her energy in a number of causes. Among her battles, she initiated the cultural website artistetchadienne.org, which has been working since 2013 to promote African culture. Through her association Positive, she supports young Chadian women in their quest for independence. All talents are supported, whether embroidery, pottery or painting.
This fusion of genres is reflected in her personal creations, where ancestral techniques meet recycling. Her lanky, elegant and finely colored figures offer a playful, modern take on contemporary Chadian society.
When it comes to photography, Salma defines herself as a photojournalist. She takes pleasure in immortalizing the urban mutation affecting the capital. In a 2015 project, the artist entrusted cameras to children to encourage them to reflect on the place of girls in society. Determined to raise awareness, she publishes a monthly comic strip recounting the adventures of young foreign girls trying to integrate into Chadian society.
Doff, no limits
Artist Apollinaire Guidimbaye became known as Doff, or "madman" in Wolof. Born in 1983, he began sorting through rubbish dumps at an early age to unearth materials. Even today, he has a fondness for salvaged materials: wire, bullet casings picked up on battlefields, motherboards... Anything that society considers waste inspires him to create something between painting and sculpture. For him, reusing cartridge cases is a way of initiating a virtuous circle, while at the same time making a memory.
In the same way, he treats all subjects without censorship, from excision to war. His influences are Jean-Michel Basquiat and Pierre Soulages. After becoming a theater set designer, he went on to travel extensively, refining his singular style at the crossroads of genres.
Over the past ten years, Doff has established himself as a major figure on the Chadian cultural scene. In October 2022, he exhibited for the first time in Paris, at Galerie Art-Z. Through his art, Doff invites politicians to propose peaceful solutions to civil wars and environmental issues. Thanks to his notoriety, his message carries the voice of Chad and the entire African continent.
