Born in 1966, Sinfra, Republic of Ivory Coast. Lives and works in Essen, Germany.

Jems Robert Koko Bi is a rising figure in contemporary art in Côte d’Ivoire. Alumnus of the Dusseldorf Academy of Arts after being a student at the National Higher Institute of Arts and Culture Action (INSAAC) in Abidjan, this regular guest of the Dakar Biennial and several other international events excels in cutting and burning wood, which is his favourite material. He is comfortable with figurative forms as well as with abstract and conceptual constructions. The works he presents in Venice deal with the struggle for power (see Installation de chaises) on the one hand, and the ‘brain drain’ (see Convoi royal) on the other.

EDUCATION

2000 Master student of Prof. Klaus Rinke
1997 DAAD Stipendium, Study at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf with Prof. Klaus Rinke
1994-1996 Befähigungsnachweis für das höhere Lehramt, (CAPEAS) /Abidjan, Republic of Ivory Coast
1992-1995 Studio Klaus Simon / Abidjan, Republic of Ivory Coast
1994 Diplôme Supérieur des Beaux- Arts, Academy of art / Abidjan, Republic of Ivory Coast
1992 Diplôme National des Beaux- Arts, Academy of art / Abidjan, Republic of Ivory Coast
1988-1995 Institut National Supérieur des Arts et de l´Action Culturelle (INSAAC), Kunstakademie Abidjan, (C.I.) / Abidjan, Republic of Ivory Coast

SELCTED EXHIBITIONS

2016
An Age of Our Own Making: An exhibition in three parts, City of Holbæk , ACTS 2016 & Roskilde Festival , Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Holbæk / Roskilde / Copenhagen, Denmark

2015
Masters of Sculpture from Ivory Coast, Musée du quai Branly, Paris
Jems Robert Koko Bi: No man’s land, Galerie Cécile Fakhoury, Abidjan, Ivory Coast (cote D`ivoire)

2014-2015
THE DIVINE COMEDY – Heaven, Purgatory and Hell Revisited by Contemporary African Artists at SCAD, SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah, Georgia, United States/ Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C, United States/Museum für Moderne Kunst (MMK), Frankfurt a.M., Germany

2010
AMIES DES ARTS / BICICI / Abidjan, Republic of Ivory Coast
Musée de BOZAR / Brussels, Belgium
L´AMERIQUE C´EST NOTRE HISTOIRE /  Europa Museum, Tour & Taxi / Brussels, Belgium
BLACK WORLD FESTIVAL / Dakar, Senegal

2007
The Toronto International Art Fair / Toronto, Canada
8. Dakar Biennale /  Senégal
L´homme est un Mystère / Musée de la Briqueterie / Langueux, Bretagne, France
Premier choix / Musée de la Rotonde des Arts Contemporains/  Abidjan, Republic of Ivory Coast

2006
EUROPA-AFRIKA /  Brussels, Belgium
5. Biennale der Grafik, Versailles, France

2005 
Kunst am Baum /  im Städtischen Museum / Gelsenkirchen, Germany

2004
SKULPTUR- SKULPTUR /  international Bildhauersymposium /  Joucas en Provence France

2003
Carrefour / GEA / Bochum, Germany

2002
ASSIMILATION– Atelier vor Ort, Anne Berlit-Koko Bi eine Zusammenarbeit mit der Galerie ATISS /  Dak’Art Biennale Dakar und dem Kulturministerium Dakar-Sénégal / Musée de Dakar Sénégal /

1994
Die andere Seit der Kette /  Atelier Projekt Kettenschmiedemuseum / Fröndenberg, Germany

SELECTED PERFORMANCES

2010
Schmerz der Freiheit /  Marktkirche /  Essen, Germany

2008 
Dédouanement / Musée de la Rotonde des Arts Contemporains / Abidjan, Republic of Ivory Coast

2006
Menschen Erde / Waldkunst Pfad /  Darmstadt, Germany

2004
Mea culpa  / Kind zum Vater /  Joucas en Provence, France

2003
Chemin de l´épreuve / Havana Biennale / Cuba

2002
Galère 2 /  Camouflage, The Centre of contemporary Art of Southern, East and West Africa / Brussels, Belgium

2001
Rückkehr der Kinder von Gorée / Dakar-Gorée, Sénégal
On change de terre / Kunst Akademie /  Düsseldorf, Germany