William Bakaïmo | Interview with the Artist
William Bakaïmo, an artist from Cameroon, visited Lithuania from October 25 to November 8, 2023, and created artworks in a studio in Užupis. On November 8, at the Tumo Gallery (Užupio str. 28, Vilnius), the exhibition TOTEMS featuring the works of Adelė Liepos Kaunaitė and William Bakaïmo was opened. Four out of the fourteen artworks exhibited at the show were created by William during his creative residency in Lithuania. Before the opening of the exhibition, we spoke with William about his artwork, experiences in Vilnius, and his first exhibition in Lithuania.
Photo: photographer Vidas Venslovaitis
What childhood events had the most influence on your artistic journey? Could you share specific experiences?
The illustrations in the books that were in my father's office had the biggest impact on me. I spent time looking at them and trying to transfer them onto paper or school writing boards.
What was the beginning of your artistic journey like? When did you first discover a passion for creativity, and what prompted you to take it seriously?
Art attracted me from childhood. When I was 11 or 12 years old, I visited the French-Cameroonian alliance, where I spent a lot of time in the workshop of Cameroonian artist William Kayo. I think that's when I started to feel a strong desire to become an artist like him. In high school, I started creating greeting cards that I sold to my friends for holidays like Christmas, New Year's, and Valentine's Day.
"I've always been drawn to nature and the animal world. I explore people too, but primarily through my own experiences. That's why I'm interested in spirituality, mysticism, dreams, and everything we perceive indirectly."
William Bakaïmo | The Flower of the Garden, 2023 | We Are the Boss, 2023 | Remember Us, 2023 | Mixed media on canvas, 80 x 60 cm
What are your main sources of inspiration?
I have always been drawn to nature and the animal world. I explore people too, but primarily through my own experiences. That's why I'm interested in spirituality, mysticism, dreams, and everything we perceive indirectly. This category also includes metaphors. I am very sensitive to everything that changes or evolves over time – people, cultures, traditions, environments. I am most inspired by artists who explore existence and identity – Basquiat, Ousmane Sow, Soly Cissé, Hako Hankson, Joël Padoo.
Is religion, spirituality important in your work and personal life?
Spirituality and belief are fundamental to my creations, directly related to exploring the essence of the soul and its existence. If we were to talk about religion, it usually plays the role of a guide in this world. Religion leads towards God. In my work, it is a tool to reflect on the evolution of humanity, what it becomes.
Your chosen techniques include ink, acrylics, correction fluid, as well as collages. What draws you to these materials and techniques? How do they contribute to your artistic expression?
Using various techniques opens the door to various interpretations, creating a universe open to exploration where we find various things. The fluidity of ink allows creating subtle elements, correction fluid (according to its original purpose) corrects mistakes. In the universe I create, not everything is necessarily perfect; I correct it, creating a sense of unpredictability. Indeed, there is nothing to correct during the creative process; it's just a metaphor for growth and improvement.
Are there themes, concepts that constantly recur in your work?
Yes, I particularly like to explore themes of metamorphosis, change, transformation, and evolution.
William Bakaïmo | The Return to the Source, 2023 | Mixed media on canvas, 160 x 200 cm
What themes or ideas did you explore during your creative residency in Lithuania? How did the new environment and cultural contexts affect your artwork and creative process?
Upon arriving here, I felt many things. Before coming, I knew exactly what I wanted to explore, but upon arrival, that idea changed. I realized that in creating, I must turn to the present reality because everything real has its beginning and end. This is how some of the titles of my creations here came about: "The Search for Happiness" and "The New World."
During the residency, I spent a lot of time contemplating existence, different ways of performing certain actions, and the relationship between humans and their environment. Through my window, I saw birds hopping on rooftops, and in my painting "The New World," I pondered what the world would look like if one day, due to human activity and its impact on the environment, we no longer saw birds in the sky or animals in nature. What would this new world look like? It would be a sad and flavorless world.
"...I felt as if I had grown up here. I saw places very similar to those where I grew up in my childhood. I greatly appreciate Užupis preserving traditions, the coexistence of old and modern. It constantly inspired me during my time here."
Could you describe your emotional experiences during your visit to Lithuania?
Emotionally, it was very intense because I felt as if I had grown up here. I saw places very similar to those where I grew up in my childhood. I greatly appreciate Užupis preserving traditions, the coexistence of old and modern. It constantly inspired me during my time here.
William Bakaïmo | The New World, 2023 | Mixed media on canvas, 130 x 110 cm