A visionary of the Neo expressionist movement, Frank Schroeders work is bold and unafraid. His work combines abstract forms and religious imagery with underlying narratives that convey experiences from his own turbulent past.
Schroeders work often steps across aesthetic genres. With expressionism at the forefront, we also see elements of brutalism weaved throughout his canvases in his use of bold shapes and lines to compose the background architectural narrative for his figurative elements.
His family moved to the Ivory Coast where he suffered through the First Ivorian Civil War. In 2004, his gallery in the Ivory Coast was ransacked in the aftermath of the revolt and all his pieces were destroyed. He found solace studying the philosophy, literature and artwork of the 19th and 20th centuries. He retreated to an inner creative world he describes as “dark and sometimes near death.”
In his first period, Schroeder’s work focused on revisiting classical and philosophical themes that have built our cultural and artistic identity, while developing a contemporary vision of these subjects. He also works on a very personal and introspective reflection on themes such as silence, endless waiting, and loneliness, and looking for shelter. For Schroeder, a painting should not be a simple illustration on canvas. Each painting must tell its viewer a story, and must become similar to "Alice in Wonderland’s" mirror, so that each person has the desire to go through it and be a part of it.
Frank Schroeder comes from a rich background, a unique ethnicity spanning across continents through his French mother and West African father. Having lived in Africa for decades and after a tumultuous childhood as well as the first Ivorian Civil War in Ivory Coast, it didn’t take long for him to become a reputable, award- winning artist.
He exhibited his work in various areas of Africa, such as: Abidjan, Cotonou, Accra and Lomé in the 1980s. It was during the political putsch and latent civil war along the Ivory Coast that the galleries that permanently exhibited his artworks were destroyed (with all the paintings burned). After this tragic turn of events, he went back to Spain, then France for a fresh start. For many years he remained unable to take up his brush. It took nine years for him to begin painting again and through new experiences, his style had completely transformed.
In his second period, Schroeder's work has evolved. He integrates his African origins much more into his art, for example in a series of 50 African masks. He works today on a global concept titled Black Politics that includes paintings (which tell African people’s story from Africa to America) , NFTs and clothes brand.
Recognised alongside fellow contemporaries such as Jean Michael Basquiat, Anselm Kiefer, Julian Schnabel. This exhibition is an exhibiting opportunity to show an extended collection of work from the renowned Frank Schroeder. A truly special opportunity for collectors and fans of the expressionist movement here in Wales and the UK to view and purchase these original canvases.