In the quiet streets of Lomé, where modernity and tradition intersect, Togo) or the praise of sculpture anchored in ancestral customs”>Dodji Kwami Agbétoglo sculpts the soul of his country in dead wood. Braided hair, salt and pepper beard, Dodji Kwami (1989), his black shirts, designed with recycled materials between denim and polyester fabrics, have suited this wood sculptor for almost 20 years. He recently redid his gallery where the freshly painted walls and imposing artwork create a striking atmosphere that visually reduces the size of the gallery.
His sculptures in burnt wood, pierced with asen, and scarified offer a point of reference for this descendant of a line of hunters. “My creations are an answer to the questions about wood” explains Dodji. If these works carry their weight of worries, tragedies and suffering, they also sometimes have an almost unexpected tone of humor, as when he sculpts a statuette of Joseph “father of sculptors” carrying elements of the animist cult in the region. This surprising mixture shows that he enjoys combining and playing with references to produce works which are at the same time a bridge between several religious beliefs.
In the footsteps of the ancestors
When the microphone is addressed to him, his low voice contrasts with his works, immense and imposing, some measuring more than 2 meters. At 36, Dodji lives in the Amoutivé district, in downtown Lomé. It is in this soil where he creates, sculpts, dissects and gives to wood, but not only, the shapes which translate his sleepless nights and his gaze which navigates between modernity and respect for ancestral customs. On this last point, the artist makes no concessions. “I only work on my works with dead wood”, he confides. In the Togolese capital, several people contact him so that he can take back wood from trees cut in concessions so that he can give them “restores life”. For this sculptor trained at the Artisanal Village of Lomé, “It is unacceptable not to follow in the footsteps of one’s ancestors.”
In recent years, he has launched into transmission. Toyé-Toyé reflects well the training he initiated. THE « village d’art » Toyé-Toyé, which has an exhibition room, a family courtyard where he displays the works and designs the furniture, offers a large space to young people. They make clothes with local motifs, inspired by daily life in Lome, paint canvases and sculpt craft objects in impressive quantities.
“You are doing a good job” notes a passing tourist. Dodji already has 12 young artists trained in Toyé-Toyé in sculpture and painting.
At the “Toyé-Toyé” (Be cunning, in Ewé) workshop, the winner of the bronze medal in the sculpture branch during the 11th Francophonie Games 2023 in Kinshasa offers a complete range of his creativity.
« We are not interested in the proposals received”
In a landscape still with uncertain economic contours and in which the State still seems to be marking time, Dodji is reinventing itself. “He is also an artist-designer with the commissioned works he receives” explains Wody Yawo, its curator, pointing to the wooden seats, tables and other useful objects or furniture designed by Dodji.
He is also a designer of reproducible handicraft objects which can be found on the market among mothers in Lomé who sell them to tourists and lovers of wooden objects. But he is best known for his conceptual works which travel throughout the continent and beyond. In November, the artist was preparing, while waiting for the visa, to go to New York (United States) for a solo exhibition.
The question of the economic model then arises. “Going to other countries to bring back cultural exchange interests me. But above all I like working at home, in Togo, because my raw materials are here” claims the artist when it comes to questions of emigration. And this categorical refusal sometimes goes further. “The proposals from the galleries that we have received do not interest us, for the moment” affirms its curator.
Definitely, Dodji is not ready (for the moment) to give in to foreign sirens. But for how much longer?
After exhibitions and residencies in Benin, Cameroon, the DRC and China, the artist is looking to the West and his next trip to America could open new doors for him.
Elisha IRAGI, back from Lomé (Togo)
2024-12-05 20:15:00
#PORTRAIT #Dodji #Kwami #Agbétoglo #Togo #praise #sculpture #anchored #ancestral #customs
How does Dodji Kwami Agbétoglo aim to contribute to the future of art in Togo through his “Toyé-Toyé” workshop?
## Interview with Dodji Kwami Agbétoгло: Sculpting Tradition in Togo
**Host:** Welcome to the show today, Dodji. Your name is becoming increasingly well-known in the art world, particularly after your recent win at the Francophonie Games. Congratulations on your bronze medal win in the sculpture category!
**Dodji:** Thank you. It means a lot for me to represent Togo on an international stage.
**Host:** You work primarily with wood, and your sculptures are incredibly powerful and evocative.
Can you tell us a little about your process and what inspires you?
**Dodji:** I grew up surrounded by wood in Togo, it’s a part of me.
My work is about honoring that connection. I only work with dead wood, a tribute to my ancestors and a way of giving those fallen trees new life. My sculptures tell stories, stories of my culture, of suffering and joy, and the weight of history. I want my work to bridge the gap between tradition and modernity.
**Host:** You also run the “Toyé-Toyé” workshop,
a space for young artists to learn and develop their craft.
What led you to start this initiative?
**Dodji:** I believe in passing on the torch.
To “Toyé-Toyé” means “be cunning,” and that’s what I try to instill in these young artists. We need to be clever, resourceful, and bold in our creative endeavors.
Currently, there are twelve young artists learning sculpture and painting under my wings.
**Host:** What are your hopes for the future, for both your own work and
for the burgeoning art scene in Togo?
**Dodji:** That’s a big question.
I want to keep pushing boundaries, to experiment and evolve.
I also hope Togo will continue to be recognized for its artistic talent.
We have so much to offer the world, so many stories to tell.
