Baboucarr Etu Ndow, Gambian Visual Artist

Baboucarr Etu Ndow - Gambian Painter

Artists

Culture & Traditions

Official Website:

www.tunbungartvillage.com

Contact Address

Background & Biography:

Etu - (Baboucarr Ndow also spelt Baboucar) is based at his (Tumbunto) Tunbung Art Village and Gallery in Tujereng (Tujering) in Kombo South district. He was born in Bakau, The Gambia, and is today one of the leading talented artists in the country. He became an art teacher in 1984 instructing and encouraging school students in the visual arts then later moved onto lecturing at the University of The Gambia. He has appeared on several

arts programmes on TV both locally and overseas. Later in life he secured a student place at the Art Academy Constantyn Huygens, in the Netherlands at Kampen.

Style & Techniques:
He is distinguished from other artists in his relationship and eagerness to work with local naturally occurring materials, objects and the vibrant colours found in his natural

surroundings. It is important to him to have a balance between the used materials, environment and vivid African colours such as Ochre. He happily combines the local traditional materials around him with contemporary techniques and acrylics producing richly textured abstract works. An important element in his style is the influence of

sunlight on the landscape, people and the different forms and forms of emphasis it takes in interacting with them. He says "The sunlight surrounds me 12 hours per day. That influences everything slightly". The other element are the everyday sounds he hears as it gives him artistic energy which he translated onto his canvasses.

Tunbung Art Gallery:

The centre was opened in 2002 and is used as his workshop as well as to nurture and develop young local talent in he country as well as in the rest of the West Africa region. Tumbunto gallery has also attracted students from several European universities. There are regular workshops and exhibitions displaying his and other aspiring students works. The studio is located out in the open and forms the centre state and focus of his artistic efforts. The place is one of a few local initiatives aimed at stimulating new interest in painting and other creative endevours in The Gambia.