"Through my work, I want to catalyze the strong need 2023 of a conversation between the public across the world and the characters on my canvases. This is a possibilityfor people who don’t know Africa or Cameroon to have an overview of the daily life of people here, to show their aspirations, their struggles, and their successes."
Immerse yourself in Ajarb Bernard Ategwa's textured portraits, inspired by Cameroonian Caba textiles. Mboa, which means home or village in Douala language, spotlights Ategwa's ongoing focus on personal depictions of family and friends. Providing a local perspective on self-representation in Central Africa, the collection seamlessly blends history with contemporary influences. Ategwa's expressive anonymized portraits unfold through body language, color, and clothing.
Ategwa, born in 1988 in Kumba, Cameroon, has had his art acquired by the Perez Art Museum Miami and the Chazen Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His work has been featured in exhibitions at Jack Bell in London Peres Projects in Berlin, and the Cameroon National Museum.
His paintings, in sizable formats, mirror the grandeur of cityscapes and public domains. With a vibrant color palette and a graphic style reminiscent of Douala’s advertising language, Cameroon’s largest city and economic hub, Ategwa captures the essence of rapid change. His painting technique involves intricate free-hand line drawings on canvas, conveying a sense of movement and momentum that mirrors the swift transformation of his city.
