Born in Nkonsamba, Cameroon in 1966. African contemporary artist. Pascal Martine Tahut Currently, I live my life split between Yaounde, Cameroon and Ghent, Belgium.
Tayou’s work is closely related to the concept of travel. Objects, sculptures, installations, drawings, videos all have recurring characteristics…they focus on individuals moving through the world while exploring a global village. His work goes beyond his one medium or specific set of issues that he consistently revisits. In fact, he is able to demonstrate his ideology in international themes such as personal and national identity, global consumption, etc. He weaves forgotten history and scraped memory with contemporary imagination.
works are often produced there with locally sourced goods and materials.
He demonstrates a strong sense of craftsmanship and skill in his assembly… The mystical forms are of all kinds, including fabric, glass, organic matter, consumer waste, plastic, and whatever else is at hand. built from the findings of
his Poupe Pascal The series consists of ritual objects modeled after the totem carvings of his ancestors. Glass, plastic, beads, etc. replace wood, nails and shells. These dolls pave the way for new forms of modern fetishism.
much of his art monumental; Large-scale works are placed inside and out, crafted for maximum impact. Wood often plays an important role, either in its original form or transformed into something else (such as sharp colored pencils).
Above, “Home, Sweet Home” evokes the Tower of Babel, made of birdcages, wooden spikes, ropes and papier-mâché. In the installation of Galleria Continua Entitled ‘Voodoo Child’, Tayou creates works in an open format, constructing individual works that develop from memories from his childhood environment to the present.
“Diamondscape” is a terrifying black sand landscape that evokes the mining exploits and the people who struggle there. Metal diamonds hang from the spine and black VHS tapes form the ceiling.
