AMETAVI : Atisso Goha

Discovered in Togo during the second edition of the ArtMéssiamé Residency* in November 2021—an initiative itself born in the ATI workshop (dedicated to work with the wood medium) at the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris, directed by Pascal Aumaître—Atisso Goha is a very young self-taught artist whom I found irresistible to exhibit.

Let us begin by evoking, not without a hint of mischief, the anthroponymy of his first name, Atisso, which means “cut wood” in the Ewe language of Togo.

Foreshadowing his destiny as a sculptor, Atisso Goha chose this discipline as early as adolescence. Capable of sculpting entire tree trunks—some reaching up to 7 meters in height and 1.5 meters in diameter—he defines himself as a sculptor of giants. Whether tackling enormous tree roots, which he transforms through his ardent and insatiable creative force, or producing smaller-scale works, he demonstrates equal virtuosity and imagination.

It is indeed raw wood, or aged wood marked by the elements, that he works with. He cuts and carves—often using a chainsaw—with remarkable precision, transforming these solid masses into anthropomorphic forms of both humorous and majestic power.

One seems to recognize human shapes, vaguely identifiable within our mental and visual frameworks, yet deeply rooted in a forgotten geography. Atisso Goha thus aligns himself with a lineage of sculptors focused on representing the human figure in space and time, creating an almost physical relationship between their works and the emotional states they evoke.

His mastery of direct carving reveals, on roughly shaped trunks, surfaces that are alternately polished or varnished. The veins of the wood become folds, while curves turn into rounded forms. Burned incisions made with a blowtorch—symbolizing wrinkles—serve as an allegory of the passage of time; some may also see them as scarifications, traces of deeper wounds.

Far from expressing a formal ideal, as we understand, these asexual, battered totems—amputated yet standing—represent the human condition.

These silhouettes, draped in the thread of life whose interweaving resembles mesh, awaken the memory of both virtuous and vile acts carried out by the fragile beings that we are—acts that will undoubtedly be subject to a final judgment. To add a more grounded dimension to his artistic language, Atisso Goha incorporates discarded objects into his sculptures, which he collects from the street or from trash bins.

This conveys a more pragmatic message from the artist, encouraging us to take care of our planet—and therefore of ourselves.

By using these materials, especially metal—which has embodied the best of modern life since the Industrial Revolution—he denounces our consumer and seduction-driven society, one that quickly grows tired of the very objects it produces to make life easier.

By adorning his creations with unique objects through exclusive assemblages, he celebrates diversity and plural beauty. These visual harmonies transcend the humility and rigor of the materials, giving rise to sensitive, almost living works.

For Atisso Goha’s strength lies in his ability to restore an infinite softness to these hybrid and raw forms, covered with assembled and ornamental objects made from bits of nylon string, aluminum, bronze, iron, or copper.

The artist, who lives and works in Assomé, not far from Tsévié, north of Lomé, draws inspiration from traditional African sculpture. One may also think of the many influences that have shaped him, such as the giant statues of Easter Island in Polynesia, or those of Tongariki, where the Moai no longer hold a monopoly over totems. Already a great traveler, Atisso Goha seeks to create links between cultures, as well as between humans and nature.

Breaking down the boundaries between mediums, this first solo exhibition of Atisso Goha in France establishes a dialogue between his anthropomorphic sculptures—raw in appearance, each bearing its own truth—and three of his paintings, rich in narrative density and symbolic freedom, guiding the viewer along a path toward wisdom and harmony.

Marianne DOLLO
Exhibition Curator