January 2022

Houston, TX - Mitochondria Gallery specializes in artworks from emerging and established artists from Africa and the African diaspora, with a mission to educate and expand the public awareness of contemporary African art. We present a solo exhibition titled, “Dawn.”

Mitochondria Gallery is proud to present “Dawn,” a debut solo exhibition by visual artist Sesse Elangwe (b. 1994, Buea, Cameroon) who currently resides in San Antonio, Texas. Dawn opens January 29, 2022, in Houston, Texas. The exhibition features a new body of work presented in the form of figurative paintings. This is the second collaboration between Sesse and Mitochondria Gallery. This body of work is a manifestation of his recent migration to his new environment in San Antonio, Texas and his previous life in Buea, Cameroon. Sesse takes his visual representation of enlightenment to these two different worlds where he continues to critically document some of the conditions experienced by the Black community.

Sesse’s focus is on topics that include identity, community development, and personal growth. In this series, the structure and combination of multiple realities; portrait, landscape, and still life are positioned to create a dialogue between the Black experience in Africa and the Black experience in the African Diaspora. The scenes in this body of work are from his new environment. The richness in skin tone of his figures is more amplified and his subjects are positioned with confidence and valor. His signature use of asymmetry in the eyes of his subjects remains. The larger eye is a symbol of enlightenment.  The large eye encourages his viewers to ask themselves challenging questions, to be more aware of their innate wisdom, and to mobilize in the pursuit of a better tomorrow. 

Sesse Elangwe is a self-taught artist, who has been practicing professionally for over eight years. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the University of Buea in Cameroon. He has participated in over 20 exhibitions that span four continents: Africa, Europe, North America, and Australia.  Sesse creates compelling paintings based on his digested response to personal and communal encounters, that reflect his cultural and socio-political environment. Drawing aesthetics from realism, pop art and surrealism, Sesse employs portraiture to acutely record some of the situations experienced by the Black community globally. Works by Sesse are in prestigious private collections across the globe.

Opening Date: January 29th, 2022. 12:00 pm to 6:00 PM. Public Viewing January 29th to February 10th 

Address: 2101 Winter Street, Houston, TX. 77077