barthélémy toguo's human bust stamp sculptures create an urban requiem

a view into barthélémy toguo’s urban requiem exhibition
image © designboom

okwui enwezor, curator of the 2015 venice biennale, has asked international artists to address the theme of ‘all the world’s futures’. in response, cameroonian artist barthélémy toguo presents ‘urban requiem’, an installation that examines our shared human existence from a standpoint of various world perspectives.

barthélémy toguo ‘children are people too’
image © designboom

sited on tall steel ladders are a diverse collection comprising 75 iroko wooden stamp sculptures assembled on tiered shelves, figuratively shaped as human busts. the larger-than-life sized objects each bear a different message engraved into their surface — phrases like ‘children are people too’, ‘je suis charlie’, ‘ferguson is everywhere’, and ‘don’t shoot’. the backwards arrangement of the letter forms allows for a reverse impression to be made when black ink is applied and the stamp is applied to white paper.

sited on tall steel ladders are a diverse collection of iroko wooden stamps
image © designboom

the installation acts as a ‘picture of our common heartaches and joys’, toguo says and pays homage to those who encounter and endure injustice. by taking phrases close to the heart of pressing political, social and cultural turmoil and stamping them onto the environment surrounding the visitor, toguo immerses people in this set of international conflicts.

a view into the exhibition
image © designboom

the slogans come from all corners of the globe — from a memorial motto originating in paris to a demonstration plea in the united states — bringing together the problems and perspectives of the world within a single and universal space.

the objects are figuratively shaped as human busts
image © designboom

each of the larger-than-life sized objects bear a message engraved into their surface
image © designboom

the backwards arrangement of the letter forms allows for a reverse impression to be made
image © designboom

‘end police brutality’
image © designboom

‘we protest against the deprivation of basic human rights’
image © designboom

‘stop lampedusa’
image © designboom

the stamps create graphic typographic compositions placed on to the wall
image © designboom

an almost wallpapered texture canvasses the gallery wall
image © designboom

barthélémy toguo
was born in 1967 in cameroon. toguo is a multidisciplinary artist, his works is exhibited worldwide. he lives and works between bandjoun, new york and paris. in 2008, he founded bandjoun tation, an artist residence focusing on artistic exchanges located in the highlands of western cameroon.

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