Salifou Lindou
Born in 1965, Salifou Lindou lives and works in Douala.
Art is no stranger to this member of the Kapsiki circle. The masks and statues he sees among the craftsmen and in the Palace museum with his parents have been part of his daily life since he was a child in Foumban, his native town, called a “city of the arts” by many. Very quickly, he became interested in creation and today, he is one of the Cameroonian artists recognized on the national and international stage.
Salifou Lindou’s works are a mixture of materials “I have the art of manipulating things, I like to tinker”. A tireless researcher, Salifou shapes, structures and destructures with sheet metal, leather, steel, paper, etc. He is constantly experimenting with new elements to get the best out of it.
At first sight, we might think that this artist’s work is in opposition to current trends in contemporary art. In a time when several artists are once again resorting to figuration, or even hyper-realism, this artist is looking for ways to perfectly master the abstraction of his subjects. Like a kid, as he says, Salifou expresses the need to manipulate shapes, explore materials and finally invent scenes. This ability to orientate lines, placing the eyes, mouth, nose and any other parts of the body of his characters in the right place, without calculation, indicates his perfect mastery of drawing and the expression of the freedom that emerges from him. In this game, which is ultimately artistic creation, everything is allowed.
During this manipulation, the artist ends up touching the secret and mystery of life. Life, our life, is a game, but a vicious game. His works, in a mixture of media (drawing, painting, collages, etc.) tell us about his author’s visual complexity. At the play of abstract forms, Salifou slips complex figures. This complexity can be seen through brown and dark lines that intertwine, form atypical characters on which he glues elements, which become stigmas. We can also see lines that look like labyrinths, that labyrinth which is life, a life in which the Man who is at the center of Salifou’s work, must struggle, betting, winning or losing, like in a casino. It is around this struggle and this game of perpetual strategies that human life revolves around daily. His drawings show at the same time, strong but fragile silhouettes, in chaotic worlds where man releases his impulses, staves off his fears, and unloads his aggressivity, revealing his humanity. Through Lindou’s work, we can confirm it again: artistic creation and life have a common origin and trajectory.
Ruth Belinga, Historian of Art
Mother and her daughtersSalifou Lindou130 × 150 cm€ 3.000
