Eric Takukam is a prominent digital artist residing in Douala, Cameroon. His work primarily focuses on a nostalgic reimagining of modern life, infused with his cultural heritage. It delves deeper, prompting us to reconsider the relationship between humans and nature, particularly how our current challenges might stem from human selfishness. Through his art, Takukam asks: how did our ancestors achieve such harmony with their environment, finding sustenance, healing, and longevity?.
Beyond the Digital Canvas:
Takukam’s artistic practice extends beyond the digital realm. He utilizes immersive technologies like augmented reality and video mapping to create captivating experiences. Additionally, he incorporates artificial intelligence into his artistic process. His metal sculptures serve as a call to action, raising awareness about neurodiversity and biodiversity. He believes these very differences are the source of our world’s strength and beauty.
International Recognition:
Takukam’s artistic journey has led him to exhibit in renowned galleries, festivals, and art fairs both within Cameroon and on the international stage. Some notable venues include FlyView Paris, Theatre de la Ville Paris, Annie Kadji Art allery, Institut Français du Cameroun, Douala Art Fair, Mauritius Art Fair, Tchoula allery (N’Djamena), Fringe Arts Bath, Miniature Art Fair Nigeria, Artmix Sao Polo, and the Invisible Festival.
Award-Winning Artist:
His artistic excellence has been recognized through various prestigious awards. In 2024, he secured a position among the top 150 entries in the High Art Contest. In 2023, saw him win the International Art Prize for the “on the Street Whale Monument Contest” organized by AMMCO (African Marine Mammal Conservation Organization), highlighting his commitment to ocean conservation and biodiversity. In 2022, he emerged victorious in the International Hulukulu Art Competition.
A Pioneering Force:
In November 2023, Takukam participated in an artistic residency at the NFT Factory Paris. This experience, just months later, propelled him to become one of the first established international crypto artists in Sub-Saharan Africa.
STATEMENT
My artistic practice navigates between Crypto Art, Augmented Reality, immersive installations, and public sculptures. This diversity reflects my own multifaceted background.
My greatest influences are the sights, sounds, and experiences that surround me every day I’m constantly searching for the most impactful way to interpret my ideas about myself and the world I inhabit.
In a society where unbridled capitalism often seems the only constant, and humanity faces the consequences of both victim and perpetrator in its own struggle, I utilize traditional symbols, my environment, cultural heritage, and personal sensibilities as a springboard for questioning, reflection, and even rehearsing alternative ways of living My work draws inspiration from the human experience in all its aspects: universality, knowledge, lived experiences, perspectives, and the human spirit.
LE VILLADIN
Each individual draws on the common ground, like a source, to build his or her own identity Witness to the past and narrator of the present in an ever-evolving digitized world, the “Villadin” is a reconstruction of life moments, a representation of imaginaries related to social interactions.
The “Villadin” also represents the artist himself in his plural diversity, and above all in his ceaseless quest for dialogue with others, a fundamental essence to social cohesion and development undermined by capitalism and globalization. How to live in thiś “All Global” without loosing the relationship to oneself, to memory, to intellectual continuity?.
How can we open up to and appreciate other cultures without forgetting our roots? By integrating traditional and cultural symbols of the ” grass fields” into a living space, thé “Villadin” makes use of technology to transmit rural values such as solidarity, mutual support and respect, a contemporary way of ensuring that future generations are inspired by our cultural heritage.
Viviane MAGHELA
Art Curator
LE TROMBHOMME
“Le TromBhomme” translates to “The Double Man” and is a unique artistic concept – a single strand connecting two human heads. While it originated as a symbol of the powerful bond between a father and son, it has evolved into a broader representation of unity and love for all beings in the universe.
The core themes of “Le TromBhomme” are environmental respect and neurodiversity. It emphasizes the beauty and strength found in our differences. We are all unique individuals who complement each other, making life a richer tapestry. This belief extends to the universe itself, where we see all elements as interconnected and interdependent.
In the artist’s quest for a unifying and universal symbol to embody this concept, inspiration struck unexpectedly It came from a paper clip brought home by his son during his weekly school lessons. The instrument, with its two connected parts, became a powerful visual representation of the interconnectedness I envisioned.
MONGO-MA-LOBA
In the south-west of the country, not far from the Atlantic coast, stands Mount Cameroon, a still-active volcano that the local people call “Mongo-mo-Ndemi” (“Mountain of the gods”). Its highest point, Mount Fako (“Mongo-ma-Loba”, or “Thunder Mountain”), stands proudly, surrounded by lush vegetation and people who have settled at its foot.
So when Mount Cameroon awakens, pouring out all its wrath in fire and lava, the whole country is threatened with being devoured and reduced to ashes by the ravaging flames. A huge procession begins, with groups from all over the country taking it in turns to invoke their greatest rites But nothing worked. They realized that it was only by coming together in communion that they would be able to appease the wrath of Mount Cameroon.
Directly inspired by local cosmogonies, these original creations invite audiences to discover – or rediscover – certain aspects of the mythological tales of Cameroonian tradition, reinvented, reinterpreted and magnified using new technologies and digital tools.
CRYPTO ART AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Eric Takukam is a pioneer among crypto artists in French-speaking Africa. Following a residency at the French Institute and the NFT Factory in Paris, he participated in the group exhibition “Genesis I” at the French Institute of Yaoundé His work quickly gained recognition within the global crypto-art community. Takukam showcased his crypto collection «Les WAFOS» at the Institute Français du Cameroun in both Douala and Yaoundé from May 28th to June 10th, 2024.
Initially, Takukam’s NFT works were video iterations of his existing digital creations. Subsequently, he began utilizing artificial intelligence to generate new crypto artworks based on his original pieces.
IMMERSIVE INSTALLATIONS
As part of the Focus Cameroun 3 project, Eric Takukam played an active part in creating a unique artistic style of the frescoes and motifs for the “La Colère de Mongo-Ma-Loba” installation at the FlyView in Paris. The artist also created an immersive journey during THE INVISIBLE FESTIVAL 2024 at Tour et Taxi in Brussels.
