Welcome to the yard! Laku Neg was born in 2020 after the rehashing of Black Lives Matter. We are interested in African Diaspora and indigenous knowledge exchange through the arts and philosophy. Our scheduled Artist Talk with our July, August Spotlight artist Irene Epie and chaired by Prof Florence Ayisi, was interrupted by technical difficulties in Cameroon. In lieu, we have posted below, what would have been our in-conversation event, in the written format.
Short Bios
Irene Mejane Epie is a multidisciplinary artist based in Cameroon. Drawing on her rich experiences across Africa, Europe, and North America, her work explores Cameroonian traditions, identity, and African womanhood. Since her debut exhibition in 1993, she has exhibited internationally and received numerous honors, including representing Cameroon in the Women of the World exhibition. Irene is Vice President of SOCADAP - the Civil Society for the Protection of the Rights of Visual Artists in Cameroon. Here, Irene mentors young creatives, encouraging them to pursue careers in the arts.
Professor Ayisi is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and professor of International Documentary Film at the Faculty of Business and Creative Industries, University of South Wales (USW), U.K. She teaches diverse aspects of documentary film theory and practice. She has taught film and media studies for over 27 years at several Higher Education Institutions in the U.K.
Artistic Journey & Influences
- Tell us about your early journey into the visual arts? What drew you to painting and fibreglass as your primary mediums?
- Were there particular mentors, artists, or cultural experiences that shaped your approach to art?
As early as I can remember I have been drawn to art as a form of expression. At age 3 I was given my first box of crayons and pencils and I have never looked back. In kindergarten I discovered plasticine and realised I could mould the things I drew on paper, which I found amazing. In those early years, my late father, being a bit of an artist, indulged me with the materials I needed to pursue what he saw as a way of occupying my imagination and restless energy.
When I came into my own as an artist I gravitated to fibreglass relief art because for my more specific pieces, I was able to capture the essence of my subjects more boldly. Painting which I do mostly in acrylics did justice to my colourful subjects.
I have been influenced by several African artists over the years , namely Ben Enwonwu of Nigeria - whose bold work in portraiture was raw and captivating its portrayal of African beauty. Kouam Tawadje of Cameroon brought to life scarification and traditional tattooing as expressions of status and adornment. Koffi Amtubam for his use of Ghanian traditional symbols. David Mzugunu of Tanzania for his colourful childlike portrayals of African wildlife and vegetation.
Connection to Cameroonian Traditions
- How do Cameroonian traditions and cultural practices inspire your creative process?
- Are there specific rituals, symbols, or stories from Cameroonian heritage that you frequently reference in your work?
- How do you navigate the tension between preserving cultural heritage and introducing contemporary interpretations?
Cameroon is often referred to as Africa in Miniature and is indeed the embodiment of bits an pieces of culture from all over Africa. In the north, the landscape, people, traditions and religion speak of North Africa while the south with its numerous Bantu speaking and semi Bantu groups, mirror Nigeria, Central Africa, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. All of these give me an endless source of inspiration in expressing the traditions of Cameroon. I love to work on art that debunks the stereotyping of African women which is as much due to colonization as to the misinterpreting of the role African women have played as warriors, the building of chiefdoms, serving in village councils, being midwives, healers, priestesses, keepers and transmitters of song dance, culinary arts and a variety of utilitarian crafts. Other traditions like traditional religion, courtship and marriage rites, circumcision, initiation rites, warrior societies, secret societies and traditional forms of governance. The music of my people has been a great source of my inspiration because it transcends time and invokes memories of who we were and are. In our music I feel an awakening of latent memories so deep that even when the song being sung is in a language I do not understand, I still feel a deep connection. It is through music that history and folklore have been handed down to us over the centuries, and it is music along with dance that has endured colonization and the brainwashing of us to denigrate our culture. No matter how western educated we become, or how far we travel, or even how long we have been separated, music and dance bring us back to the beginning of it all .
It has been very difficult trying to make artists understand that contemporary interpretation of our cultural heritage is possible in a society or world which has portrayed Africas cultural heritage as backward and uncivilized. There were moments when my paintings of masquerade initiation rites were even criticized for not conforming to acceptable modern standards, or not suitable for international consumption. This has been an ongoing battle where young artists try copy European masters in art believing that it would make their work more acceptable and marketable. It has taken time to make a connection between traditional art-forms - which were the physical representations of our culture, and contemporary acrylic or oil paintings. It was only after the success of my Exhibition in Ohio in 2006 that I was able to relax, knowing that through my art I had been able to bridge and at the same time preserve my cultural heritage, by the excitement and curiosity of the people who attended, especially those of the African American community.
Identity & African Womanhood
- Some of your art explores African womanhood; what aspects of this identity are you most drawn to represent?
- How do you use visual language to express the resilience, beauty, and complexity of African women?
- Do you see your work as a counter-narrative to the ways African women have been historically represented?
Being an African woman trying to connect to my culture and tradition, to feel more grounded in my connection to my continent and country, I tried to observe very closely the lives of women in the rural and urban communities around the country, listen to stories of women in the past and come up with a picture of the African woman in all walks of life. This study is still ongoing, because of its complexity. Education and jobs outside of the home have broadened the sphere of women's lives over the past few decades. The aspects I have worked on so far have been women as keepers of traditional rituals, spiritualists, farmers, mothers, warriors and advisors to rulers. Showing the African woman as beautiful, strong, nurturing and resilient .These aspects can be found in my collection Reflections.
Sculpting or painting a figure of a beautiful African woman at work or carrying a heavy pot balanced on her head gracefully tells a story of strength and beauty and pride. An acceptance of a way of life that has endured millennia and is not viewed as a burden or suffering , but as the order of things.
My work is to try as much as possible to tell the true story of the African woman as an African woman in the reality of her environment, amidst her cultures and traditions. The West who are the main writers of our history have most often portrayed the African woman as pitiful, downtrodden voiceless individual. I show the Tikar warrior Queen Ngonso who founded the Banso dynasty, the mother of Sultan Njoya who ruled behind the scenes, the women of Barombi whose huge clay pots served as water storage containers all over the southwest and Littoral, the women weavers of Foumban and so many others. I want to show the importance of the woman to her family and community. The African woman is the backbone of her community because she is the keeper of tradition.
Medium & Materiality
- Why did you choose fibreglass as part of your practice? What does it allow you to express that other materials might not?
- How do you approach colour, texture, and form in your painting and sculpture to convey meaning?
- Do the physical properties of your materials hold symbolic significance in relation to your themes?
From the initial moulding of clay, to making the mould in plaster, to filling in the fibreglass sheets, the process of bringing out a piece of relief sculpture to me is like giving life to the images I had sketched. To see the artwork emerge from the flat surface of the fibreglass is as if it is stepping out to telling its story to the world. Fibreglass art is usually painted in bronze acrylic paint giving the impression of being made in bronze and ageless. I find fibreglass a lighter material to work with and more affordable.
My approach to colour, texture and form in my work varies from piece to piece depending on the subject I am working on. When approaching certain topics like economic migration, war and human suffering, I like to use oil paint on canvas where the layering of oil paint on canvas brings out the crude rough textures necessary to interpret surroundings and emotions.
Themes & Symbolism
- Many of your works seem to carry deep symbolism—can you share examples of recurring motifs and what they represent?
- How do you decide which cultural elements to embed in a piece?
- Do you consider your art to be archival in a sense—preserving stories and identities for future generations?
Over the years, symbolism has been a major part of my paintings, especially when dealing with subjects dealing with spiritualism. This is very evident in my 2003/2006 collection Reflections, where many of the paintings are based on spirituality. Symbolism lies at the heart of traditional art because it serves to identify who the object belongs to and the purpose it was used for. Symbols like the chameleon, elephant, buffalo, leopard and lizard are recurring symbols in the chiefdoms of the grass-fields and they are all about the power play within the palace. The south has the Abbias symbols which are carved on seeds and used to send messages from village to village. All of these are depicted in my collection Reflections.
I sincerely hope that my art will serve as a reference to future generations , telling a story of my time and before, as I saw and as I now see. I want my work to enhance the sense of self worth of Africans whose lives have been influenced by the West's negative stereotyping. Growing up in the West has solidified my belief in building up myself in the face of people who were constantly seeing me as less.
Our stories are our identity. They might not be written but we try to preserve them in art as a reference for future generations.
Gender, Power & Representation
- How does your work challenge traditional gender roles within Cameroonian society?
- In what ways do you see art as a platform for amplifying African women’s voices?
- How do you respond to Western frameworks of feminism when creating work grounded in African womanhood?
Contemporary art as we know it in Cameroon has been dominated over the past 60 years mainly by male artists. It is probably only over the past 25 years that women artists have become recognized as worthy of being on par with their male counterparts. Personally the only way I have been able to break through is because I am a multidimensional artist and have been able to project art in a new medium like fibreglass . Even the society has criticized me for my choice of career believing that it was not a fit career for a woman. That is no longer the case since I became Vice President of the Artists Guild of Cameroon. In this new position I have been able to bring in the works of women to be viewed alongside that of the men .
Sight is one of our most powerful senses and I hope my work will speak loud visually as an African woman speaking the truth of the reality of her gender. Let people remember great women like Ngonso the warrior Princess of Rifoum and the unchallenged Mafors of the Grassfields.
I have always tried not to compare Western frameworks of feminism to Africa because the realities are so very different. The African woman has been honed by centuries of traditions that have made her who she is, far removed from anything a European could ever imagine.
Audience & Cultural Translation
- When people outside Cameroon view your work, what do you hope they understand about your culture and identity?
- How do you handle the balance between making work that is deeply rooted in your culture and accessible to global audiences?
- Have you experienced moments where your work was misinterpreted due to cultural differences?
I would be very pleased if people outside of Cameroon seeing my work could see in my work a window to the depths and richness of my heritage, not the derogatory stories that have been told over and over again until they became the accepted reality .
I think the world has become a global village since the explosion of social media. In being able to reach more people we are able to meet people who appreciate art that’s out of the ordinary.
There have been times when my work has been misinterpreted but that is to be expected when culture and traditions of Africa are still to be exposed and understood by most of the world.
Legacy & Future
- What role do you see yourself playing in shaping the next generation of Cameroonian or African artists?
- Are there themes you’ve yet to explore but plan to in the future?
- How do you envision your work contributing to global conversations about culture, identity, and womanhood?
I hope to inspire the next generation of Cameroonian and African artists to dig deep into the endless wells of our culture and traditions to continue honouring and telling our stories, keeping them alive.
Presently my sister and I are working on compiling historical stories through village story tellers to put together a musical which will include an opening exhibition featuring a storyboard of the musical. We feel the urgent need to record these true stories in a way that will capture the attention and interest of the younger generation hopefully keeping alive a part of our history.
A journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step, and I can only pray that my work will be seen, talked about and influence as well .
Thanks for the opportunity. Irene Mejane Epie