Côte d’Ivoire Artists Flee 30 Miles to Grand Bassam as Abidjan Rents Rise
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 30
Côte d’Ivoire Artists Flee 30 Miles to Grand Bassam as Abidjan Rents Rise
2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 30
Summary
Grand Bassam, 30 miles east of Abidjan, is drawing a growing wave of Ivorian artists who say rising rents and living costs in the commercial capital are making studios harder to keep.
Artists including Nuits Balnéaires, Elladj Lincy Deloumeaux and Aïcha Fall cite cheaper housing, calmer surroundings and oceanfront inspiration, while collectors say some are already being pushed even farther out as Bassam also gets pricier.
The shift is helping revive the former capital, where La Maison de l’Art reopened last year and La Fourchette de Rōze’s residency program has hosted more than two dozen artists and musicians since January 2023.
That renaissance still stops short of displacing Abidjan: most galleries, institutions, collectors and major events such as Abidjan Art Week remain there, keeping Bassam tied to the city’s wider art ecosystem.