In Lomé, a new art space has opened its doors to the delight of the inhabitants of the Togolese capital, the curious and art lovers. None other than the massive Palais de Lomé has become a center of art and culture after a colossal renovation initiated in 2014 and completed in 2019. Beyond a museum, the Palais de Lomé wishes to be a reference in the national cultural environment and an ambassador of Togo’s richness on an African and international scale. Highlighting artists from to Togo, Africa and african diasporas, welcoming young and adults, organizing school activities, collaborating with civil society groups, raising awareness about the environment and ecology… The ambitious project starts beautifully. After two inaugural exhibitions, one focusing on kings, the other presenting artists from West Africa (Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Ghana), 3 exhibitions opened this year at the Palace, celebrating the city of Lomé, its youth and its creative talents.
Togo Yeye – The Future is now
Hairstyles of yesteryear, fashion of today, the photographic exhibition ‘Roots of the imagination’ explodes with colors and joy. Commissioned by the Palais de Lomé to the Togolese artist collective Togo Yeye, the series focuses on the link between hairstyle and identity. And well beyond the remarkable aesthetic work, it is a brilliant Togolese youth, inspired, confident that we find here. The staging, the shades, textures, attitudes … Colors are warm, faces are radiant. Traditional hairdressing techniques and ancestral dyeing techniques are honored. But also the modernity, the cool, the singularity of contemporary designs and the insolence of beauty.The creative artists Malaika Ismaella and Delali Ayivi, in collaboration with the hairdresser Bataka Bamana aka Patron Aimé, offer us treats for the eyes.
‘Roots of the Imagination’ is the portrait of a proud and free generation, a celebration of a multiple identity. The exhibition invites us to imagine joyful, plural, fertile and possible futures. A must-see!
Contemporary Togolese artists
In the other wing of the first floor, we meet 10 contemporary Togolese artists. Painting, sculpture, drawing, collage, multiple mediums are the ways of expression of this generation of artists flourishing in the capital: Abla Sika Akpaloo, Serge Anoumou, Ruben Assamagan, Kwami Da Costa, Jerry Doe Orlando, Clément Ayikoué Gbegno, Richard Late Lawson-Body, Pierre Segoh, Kodjovi Tessi et Thierry Tomety, a nice way to discover contemporary art in Togo.
Lomé of yesterday, today and tomorrow
Finally, upstairs, the exhibition Lomé, Portraits of a City , commissioned by Hervé Pana, takes us on a journey through time. Urbanism in expansion and mutation… If the pictures of the past awaken nostalgia, the futuristic plans leave us wondering… Faced with these utopias, I remember the precious reflections of Sename Koffi Agbodjinou. Then the memories rush in at the sight of the numerous objects collected from a past Lomé, archives generously shared by the families. Records, Kenté, photos of Nanas Benz and outfits sewn by the best tailors awaken so many memories. Traditional Lomé, commercial Lomé, festive Lomé, combative Lomé, Lomé La Belle in its golden age… This exhibition is that of Loméans, or rather they are the ones who make the exhibition! A dive into space, time and traditions.
