Our continent, our traditions, and our cultures must speak for themselves. Featuring artist Corail King

Ibrahim, whose artist’s alias is Corail King, is a talented painter and designer. His details pencil drawings are very unique in style and depth. The artist from Gabon received his formal training in fine arts in Cameroon. He then returned to Gabon to pursue his deepest passion: exposing the many cultures that are slipping into the shadows. “When you look left and right, African culture and traditions are fast dying,” he explained.

In the short video clip above, Corail creates a curious and fierce owl.

One of the traditions that are almost extinct and difficult to find are the Mitsogo Mask and Myth in the Fang ethnic group. According to Wikipedia, the Mitsogo are known to be the last group defeated by the French colonists, around 1940. We are so incredibly grateful that he could share one of his really never seen before creations of this mask.

Ibrahim’s love for art started at a very young age. He was very passionate about drawing, and his uncle encouraged him to travel to another country to attend college. As a painter, he really loves abstract art and surrealism. Ibrahim’s dream is that, from all four corners of the world, African art will have a place, a voice, a status — and that all our dormant traditions will erupt and shine. “Our continent, our traditions, and our cultures must speak for themselves.”

One of the main challenge the artist faces is the ability to travel throughout his country, Gabon, to immerse himself so he can better represent the essence of each cultural group and their traditions through his art and calligraphy. Eventually, he would like to extend his travel and documentary beyond Gabon to other African nations. For example, in Cameroon, he would like to study and capture the Grasslands and the Bamileke people.

When asked about his source of inspiration, Ibrahim took a deep breath and shared, “What inspires me comes from very deep within. I lost both of my parents at a very young age. As an orphan, I felt like I was the sheep standing among the wolves. I received little to no consideration from most people around. I was a stranger and a hostage.” He had to learn everything on his own: his roots, how are things done, his cultural heritage — everything. In his searching, Ibrahim turned to the culture he was initiated into and was curious in understanding the meaning of life — the meaning of symbols he had been exposed to.

The artist began to use his drawings to create the world he wanted to see and to represent things he was encountering along the way. His expressions can be seen through sketches, comics, or cartoons, alongside his very thought-provoking painting and creations.

We asked the artist what role art plays in society, and he explained, “Before missionaries came to Africa, we had our traditions. Our traditions were our religions. To me, art is like a religion that belongs to each ethnic group.”

Before I could ask the next question, Corail King asked me if I have a collection of African art. I responded that I have a very limited collection and that my dream is to see African art everywhere, to see it in mainstream and daily living around the world. A collection behind my four walls only satisfies and enriches a few people. African art needs to transform more lives, I added. I then returned the question. “Do you have a collection of African art, Ibrahim?”

His answer left me speechless. “I had a collection of about ten most beautiful and precious paintings capturing the essence of our dying traditions. These included a voodoo, war times, a crying gourd, and one entitled ‘Misery.’ In addition, I had a few pieces meticulously created, and I was stunned by the results. These were made of recycled paper, feathers, and objects found around me. About six years ago, these were stolen. Some of them were stolen at a control post in Ngaoundere, a town in Northern Cameroon; some of them were stolen as part of a corruption scheme.

The saddest part is that they were gone before I could even take pictures of them. I was robbed of everything that was precious to me, and among it was my favorite piece of all time. ‘Le visage des Fruits,’ translated as the ‘Fruit Face’ a composition made of feathers that looked like the following image. This painting was a re-creation using gouache of the original artwork, but I could never fill the void of losing that piece.”

This picture depicts the food crisis in Gabon and in most part of Africa. All these nourishing foods and fruits were once available to most people — with the cost of living rising and the food production declining, vegetables and fruits are not out of the reach of many. “During my childhood, these were readily available, growing up and seeing all these fruits disappear was sad. I wanted to immortalize the great memories of living in an area of fertile land and abundant fruits.”

“Where can we see more of your art, Ibrahim?” I asked. “I currently do not share my work online or publicly,” he said. We got the sense that he doesn’t want to risk losing it all again. But luckily, the artist continues to create, and we are working with him to promote a lifestyle brand — artpizzazz featuring the artists hand drawn and inspiring creations.

Corail King had a message for other African artists: “Africa is tomorrow’s future. Our cultural heritage is the richest on earth. We just need to be curious and look around. Our art and style may be different, but we share a common goal. Let’s keep the passion alive, way ahead of money and other distractions, and our talent will rise, individually and collectively.”

Our interview concluded on the following note: “No one is going to rob me of my passion — I will continue to speak for our traditions and represent them in a unique and authentic way.”

Thank you, Corail King!