Connections 2 (2005)
About the Artist:
Patrice Kouma is an artist who is deaf due to an early bout with meningitis.
In 1985, at the age of 15 he started painting with Sr Maria Rosa, an Italian.
Since then, Patrice Kouma has received two diplomas from the Institute de
Formation artistique in Cameroon, and has worked to refine his skills with
training generously supported by the Centre de Promotion Sociale. Patrice
Kouma primarily uses watercolor, oil and ceramics.
Kouma's paintings have been shown at many exhibitions throughout the Cameroon
and were featured in a series of greetings cards produced by Gallaudet University
in Washington DC in 2000. In June 2004, Kouma's work was showcased at VSA Arts
Festival in Washington DC. Patrice Kouma currently teaches painting and ceramics
to youth with disabilities.
Artist's Statement:
As a visual artist, my creativity is based on what I see and feel around me,
in everyday activities and stories of traditional life in my native Cameroon.
I process the information that I have gathered, then with my canvas and oils
paints I come back to share it with my viewers.
