Born in 1978 in Abidjan on the Ivory Coast, Armand Boua’s artistic practice is centered on depictions of street children from his home town. Intended to serve as a sobering reminder for the rest of the world, Boua’s portraits feature abstracted Ivorian children suffering in the wake of immense violence caused by their country’s great political unrest.

Neglected and without a home, these children leave their youth behind and travel to the urban districts of Abidjan in search of work during the day and shelter at night, often using cardboard or other materials they find on the street.

Opting to work on found objects, usually cardboard in homage to his subjects, Boua uses layers of acrylic paint and tar, which he strips and fad...