About

Yidja is a France-based painter. The name is her second given name in Lyélé, the language of the Lyéla people of Burkina Faso; it means "God is good." Its Chinese counterpart, 伊嘉, was chosen for both meaning and sound: 伊 for classical grace, 嘉 for excellence. It's the name she paints under.

Kaana Tie is her ongoing series rooted in the architectural painting traditions of the Lyéla: earth pigments and textures transposed onto archival panels. Alongside it, she paints figures in traditional dress worn as everyday clothing, costume lifted out of folklore and into ordinary life.