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. |
