William Bakaïmo (b. 1988, Cameroon) | The Flower of the Garden, 2023 | Acrylic, mixed media, canvas, 80x60

Sign.: AD: William Bakaïmo 2023

Created during a residency in Lithuania (25 October 2023 - 08 November 2023).

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William Bakaïmo (b. 1988, Cameroon) | Contemporary African Art

William Bakaïmo was born in 1988 in Maroua, Cameroon. A painter and visual arts design engineer, he started drawing at the age of five and later, from 2015, studied at the University of Maroua (Higher Institute of the Sahel), focusing mainly on visual arts and painting. He participated in various art workshops in Buea and Yaoundé organized by UNIFAC. His early works, created in 2017 and 2018, mark a crucial period in his career and his quest to break free from academic constraints and find his artistic voice.

In his puzzle-like works, mythology and folklore merge with anthropomorphic and zoomorphic motifs to explore human metamorphosis influenced by external events, the struggle of individuals confronting their limits, fears, and demons in a complex, corrupt world. The image of the lizard, a symbol of metamorphosis, frequently appears in his mythological universe. "Within me resides a lizard that sheds its skin each time to become a new person," says the artist.

William Bakaïmo's work has been exhibited in over ten exhibitions in Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and France. In recognition of his artistic achievements, he was awarded the UNIFAC prize in 2012.