Barthélémy Toguo
Born in 1967 in Mbalmayo, Cameroon
Lives and works in Paris and Bandjoun Station
Barthélémy Toguo studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Abidjan, the Beaux-Arts in Grenoble, and the Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf 

Barthélémy Toguo works in drawing, watercolor, sculpture, ceramics, engraving, performance, photography, and video to “create a language that draws its inspiration from encounters and travels.” In his often autobiographical work, he says he addresses “exile, migration, North-South exchanges, racism, homophobia, AIDS, and religion.” His work confronts the Western world with that of his origins, addressing the tragedies of history and the fragility of life. In 2016, he was nominated for the Marcel Duchamp Prize. In 2017, he created the fresco Célébrations for the Château Rouge metro station in Paris. In 1999, he created Bandjoun Station in Cameroon, an artistic exchange residence and an economic and social project to “revive a vision of the African diaspora.” In 2021, he was named UNESCO Artist for Peace. His works, which feature in major collections, are shown in international exhibitions, notably at the Venice Biennale, the Parrish Art Museum in New York, the Musée du Quai Branly, and the Sydney Biennale. 

Barthélémy Toguo said: “I am an artist who witnesses the world around me and in which I move, because I travel a lot. So I see, and I restore the memory of forgotten people and nature, which I celebrate in my creations.”