Lavatory Conversation, 2023
30x40in oil on linen
Josué Bessiake
Josue Bessiake is an African American painter working in Beverly, Massachusetts whose work is heavily influenced by his environment. Born to immigrant parents from Côté d'Ivoire, Bessiake grew up primarily in the Midwest. His family moved frequently, allowing him to observe a multitude of settings and environments that have subsequently shaped how he looks at the world. Due in part to his itinerant upbringing, Bessiake is constantly asking how the things he observes can be transformed, or perhaps should they be transformed.
Bessiake is influenced by histories of art as a means to explore his sense of place in the world as an artist. Working primarily from life, he seeks to take up the same space as his subjects. This helps Bessiake to see more deeply and gain a sense of empathy for the people and places he paints. Bessiake’s work ranges from abstract to representational, often depicting his immediate environment, such as his peers, his studio, hallways, and everyday objects that surround him. Bessiake’s palette seeks to capture the ways in which light transforms his subjects and surroundings.
Josue Bessiake is a senior at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, MA. He recently completed an artist residency in the Bahamas where he studied painting with Michael P. Edwards. Bessiake also presented an artist talk at the National Gallery, Bahamas as part of his residency. Recent exhibitions include Fresh Faces at Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, Boston, Shallow Waters at Bare Gallery, Beverly, and the upcoming show, A Familiar Form, at Massachusetts College of Art.
