By John Owoo
(Atakpamé – Togo)
An exhibition showcasing artworks produced during a two-week artists’ and researchers’ residency at Kamina, a village near Atakpamé in Togo’s Plateaux Region, closed on Sunday, October 19, marking the end of an intensive period of artistic experimentation, cultural exchange, and research.
Organized by Karp Kamina, the 2026 residency brought together artists, researchers, and traditional performers from diverse backgrounds to explore art’s role in revitalizing cultural heritage and strengthening connections between communities, histories, and contemporary creative practices.
Participating artists from Togo, Benin, Ghana, and Norway include Marie Jocee Atikpo, Grégoire Steve Ali, Frederick Bamfo, Livingstone Amoako, Samuel Olou, Ray Agbo, Kojo Biney, Lakougnon Moise, Adadevigan Amavi Frank, Togneviadji Agrimatiger, Dzagniikpo Kossi Mawussi, Agbekponou Edoh, and Akemado Atchou, along with members of the Dzogbeadzi Music and Dance Group.
The exhibition featured a diverse collection of paintings, sculptures, installations, masks, and ceramics, reflecting how artists responded to the residency’s environment, cultural resources, and shared conversations. The works also demonstrated the value of artist residencies as spaces for experimentation, enabling practitioners to explore unfamiliar materials, collaborate across disciplines, and produce works that might not emerge within the confines of their regular studios.
At the heart of the program was cultural revitalization, understood not simply as preserving traditions or nostalgically returning to the past, but as an active process of reclaiming, reinterpreting, and reimagining cultural knowledge in contemporary society.
Through artistic production, performances, discussions and engagement with local communities, the residency encouraged participants to consider how cultural practices can challenge historical erasure, resist commodification and address the gradual loss of collective memory.
Beyond the final exhibition, Karp Kamina 2026 sought to establish a platform for sustained artistic exchange between Togo, other African countries and the wider international community. Its interdisciplinary approach brought together contemporary artists, researchers, and traditional practitioners, creating opportunities for intergenerational learning and knowledge-sharing.
By situating artistic activities within traditional, alternative, and historic spaces, including public environments, the program also underscored the importance of making culture accessible beyond conventional exhibition venues.
The residency’s conclusion therefore represented more than the presentation of newly created artworks. It reflected on how creative collaboration can reconnect communities with their cultural histories while opening possibilities for new interpretations.
Ultimately, Karp Kamina’s initiative positions cultural revitalization as an evolving process—one in which heritage is not merely preserved, but continually re-examined, practiced, and transformed through contemporary artistic expression.
Commune Ogou 1, DRAC-Plateaux, Prefecture de l’Ogou, and Hong Kong Hotel are sponsoring the 2026 edition of the residency.
