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 Culture
& Traditions Arts
& Crafts Artists |
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Background & Biography:
 Njogu
Touray is a well known Gambian artist who was born in 1960 and
began his early artistic career by tinkering with art using different
natural media found in his environment such as beach sand and
cowry shells.
In his early youth Njogu began by creating Fanal lantern lights
and various indigenous masks used in cultural festivities. He
later produced household decorations for families in his neighbourhood
and soon the word spread about his talent and he became a household
name.
Style and Works:
Njogu creates his own rich vibrant colours using natural resins
and pigments extracted from various indigenous tree bark and plants
which he uses on his paintings. This obsession with natural materials
started in his childhood and is indicative of his environmental
concerns about local detrimental damage including the felling
of trees. His technique of using alternative media is similar
to another local painter named Etu. He is captivated by the magnificent
ruins of the ancient Old City of Timbuktu such as his work 'Trace
of Old', which portrays the ancient city of in often rich, stark
natural tones of the African scenery. Another of his works includes
'Seeing Beyond' which shows the revered and often sacred baobab
tree. Some of his paintings as well as Etu's adorn the villas
at the AU village in Brufut Heights near Ghana Town. He has opened
his own art gallery called Sakura Art Studio - 'Tahalart' - which
means in Wolof 'to be stained' with or 'do art'. It is located
in the Latrikunda area of Serrekunda just off Kairaba Avenue.
Exhibits and Tours:
He has travelled internationally and since the late 1980s his
works have been exhibited in art galleries in the US, Europe and
nearer to home in Senegal. For example in 1989 he held an exhibition
of his works at the Africa Centre in the UK and in 2002 he held
an exhibition in Oregon titled 'Colors of Africa'.
Local Participation:
As well as being an environmental campaigner he is eager to encourage
children to enter into the arts and encourages them to try out
different techniques and mixed media.
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