French-Cameroonian artist addresses water crisis through installation at India Art Fair

New Delhi, Feb 2 (PTI) It was a childhood memory of fetching water from far away and understanding the importance of water early on that inspired French-Cameroonian artist Barth l my Toguo to create a five-metre-long embroidery installation, featured at the 15th edition of India Art Fair here.

The thought provoking installation, titled ‘Water Matters’, depicts a man receiving and offering water, placed in front of a table with a hundred engraved bottles that are filled with water from all over the world.

“It all started with a childhood memory. I remembered getting up very early in the morning to fetch water from far away, to drink, to wash the plates at home, in Cameroon, before going to school. It was these ordeals that made me realise the importance of water in our lives,” Toguo said.

The 57-year-old artist decided to work on this project after realising the problem of lack of drinking water around the world.

“Water is a priceless and vital element: I feel very concerned about this resource, which should be a right for everyone, but which is cruelly lacking and endangering the living world, both human and animal. Realising the current problem of the lack of drinking water in many parts of Africa and the rest of the world, I decided to focus my project with the Chanakya Craft School in Mumbai on this issue,” he said.

With the prominence of blue colour in his works, which represent a “gentle and non-violent world”, Toguo has also depicted different animals on embroidery at the fair.

“My work is full of different animals that inspire me. I also like to see crocodiles and peacocks. Everything in the exhibition space at the fair is in blue. With the sea in mind, I have drawn blue lines on the walls with pastels. I marvel at the fluidity of water, which for me represents a gentle, non-violent world,” he said.

The artist is represented by the French Institute in India as part of the launch of its Villa Swagatam residency programme that encourages exchange between French and Indian artists.

India Art Fair, which opened on Thursday, has showcased over 100 exhibitors from all over the world, including 72 galleries and major regional and international art institutions, featuring the best of modern and contemporary South Asian art alongside major contemporary international artists.

The art fair will come to a close on February 4.