I first came across Messe through a fascinating newspaper article about his eventful artistic career and personal life. His colorful, brash style, with a Basquiat-esque touch, intrigued me before winning me over.

I went on to find other equally interesting articles about the artist, then stalked him on Instagram, and finally landed a ZOOM call with him.

During our 40-minute chat, we touched on many topics, including his mission to convey messages against social injustice through his art, the place of African art in galleries worldwide, solidarity (and the lack thereof) among black artists, his willingness to focus on the essentials after suffering a stroke that left him partially paralyzed for two years.

In short, I discovered a determined, passionate, and above all humble artist. Our meeting couldn’t have been more pleasant, and his open-minded approach to collaboration has greatly encouraged me to pursue this venture to create an Artssembly that is talented, human and constantly evolving. Thank you for your precious time, Messe.

You can follow him here:

https://www.instagram.com/messe_bidias/

Tweets by MasseRackel

https://m.facebook.com/messebidias/

Here are some interesting articles about Messe (in English only):

https://boldjourney.com/meet-rackel-messe-a-bidias/

https://shoutouthtx.com/meet-rackel-messe-a-bidias-visual-and-contemporal-artist/

Location: Douala (Cameroon)