Boris Anje (Anjel)
Boris Anje (Anjel)

Anjel is not just a symbol of Neo-Pop Art for aesthetic reasons; he is a reference for his messages. A committed genius in alerting us to the consumer culture that surrounds us in every circumstance. In fact, in his early days, Anjel filled the black bodies of his models with logos from famous fashion brands, including Fendi, Hermès, Kenzo, Polo, and Versace, giving the works witty titles like “Ego or Sacrifice?” and “SAPE Jockey.”

Boris Anje (Anjel)

Trained at the Foumban Institute of Fine Arts, Boris Anje (Cameroon, 1993) was an emerging painter even before completing his master’s degree in 2018. Better known as Anjel, he had the fortune of being an artist-in-residence at the prestigious Les Ateliers Sahm in Brazzaville, Congo, where he became fascinated by the city’s famous dandies and began filling his canvases with these striking and colorful individuals. It was there that he began to forge his mark.

Today, we are faced with a renowned and impactful portraitist who draws on the virtues of his distinguished compatriots and color magicians like Jean Jacques Kanté and Hervé Youmbi. He is inspired by Andy Warhol’s Pop culture and admires the creations of artists like Tim Okamura, Fahamu Pecou, Amy Sherald, and Kehinde Wiley. The allure of his works, that feeling of being captivated at first sight, owes much to the imaginative play of contrasts: black bodies set against an abstract environment splashed with logos and colors.

Anjel enjoyed his first solo exhibition in Europe in 2017. Titled “Black is Beautiful,” it was the OOA Gallery in Barcelona that could celebrate the discovery of his talent, that of a creator who detects problems and dazzles. Our jury member understands painting as a powerful communication tool that cannot remain indifferent to the world around it. That’s why his brushes have captured recent social issues like the pandemic and latent ones like racial imbalances.

Recently, he has shared an exhibition at the OOA Gallery in Barcelona with five renowned painters. A show that undoubtedly places black figurative painting at the epicenter of pulsating contemporary art.

Anjel is not just a symbol of Neo-Pop Art for aesthetic reasons; he is a reference for his messages. A committed genius in alerting us to the consumer culture that surrounds us in every circumstance. In fact, in his early days, Anjel filled the black bodies of his models with logos from famous fashion brands, including Fendi, Hermès, Kenzo, Polo, and Versace, giving the works witty titles like “Ego or Sacrifice?” and “SAPE Jockey.”