The Dancer on the Grass

Working across a wide variety of mediums, Barthélémy Toguo addresses issues of borders, exile, colonialism, and diaspora. At the core of his practice is the notion of belonging, which stems from his dual French/Cameroonian nationality. Through poetic and figurative works which often connect nature with the body, Toguo foregrounds concerns with socio-ecological implications. The Dancer on the Grass depicts the lower torso of a female figure intertwined with a vine. As though interconnected, the work deconstructs the anthropocentric view that nature and humanity is a binary, instead presenting a more harmonious and holistic view of the world; one in which humanity and the natural world are equal. The red of the body and the green of the vine contrast vividly with one another, and blend together upon meeting at the figure’s lower spine.
In 2008, Toguo founded Bandjoun Station in Cameroon to foster contemporary art within his native local community. The centre includes an exhibition space, a library, an artist residency, and an organic farm. Toguo has participated in the Sydney Biennale (2011, 2022); Kochi-Muziris Biennale, India (2018); Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale in Japan (2018); 56th Venice Biennale (2015); Havana Biennial (2012); 11th Biennale de Lyon (2011); and Dakar Biennale (2000, 2010, 2016, 2018). In 2016, Toguo was shortlisted for the Prix Marcel Duchamp and subsequently presented the installation Vaincre le virus! at the Centre Pompidou, Paris. Solo exhibitions have been held at Savannah College of Art and Design Museum of Art, Georgia; Centre d’art La Malmaison, Cannes; Musée du Quai Branly, Paris; Parrish Art Museum, New York; and Palais de Tokyo, Paris. His works are included in public collections including the Tate Modern, London; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Musée d'art contemporain de Lyon, Lyon; Studio Museum Harlem, New York; and MoMA, New York. In 2011, Toguo was made a Knight of the Order of Arts and Literature in France.