Born in1998 in Libreville, Gabon, and living in France since the age of 14, Charles Bourdette has spent nearly a decade crafting a distinctive body of work that explores memory, spirituality and the shaping of identity. His art is deeply personal and visually striking, rooted in a unique language that draws from the oral traditions, spiritual symbolism and philosophical heritage of his homeland—while also engaging with esoteric and transcultural influences from around the world.

Bourdette’s paintings are rich in texture and meaning. The surface of the canvas becomes a narrative space, where material and memory converge. His rendering of skin gives his figures a deeply human, almost spiritual presence, while the backgrounds—never neutral—extend and intensify the symbolic dimension of each scene. In his work, light seems to rise from within the figures themselves, radiating an inner glow that adds emotional and mystical depth. This combination of intuition and technical discipline gives his paintings a rare emotional and physical weight.

Rejecting folkloric clichés and static portrayals of African identity, Bourdette instead explores foundational dualities—seen and unseen, strength and vulnerability, masculine and feminine. Through this, he creates a visual language that reflects both the complexity and the ongoing evolution of his cultural heritage. Each canvas becomes a space to imagine what a future Gabonese culture might look like: grounded in tradition yet open, in motion, and free from imposed definitions.

At the heart of Bourdette’s practice is a clear and meaningful goal: to offer his community a strong, renewed cultural foundation—while inviting international viewers to see, feel and think differently about Gabon ans the rest of Africa.