Sokey Edorh

In his mixed media paintings, Sokey Edorh consistently harmonizes visually impactful imagery with intellectually critical analysis, thereby crafting poignant commentaries on the contemporary social and political realities of Africa.

Biography of Sokey Edorh

Born in Tsévié, Togo, in 1955, Sokey Edorh emerged as an artist with a distinctive voice and a rich artistic journey that spans continents. His academic pursuit began with philosophy studies at the Universite du Benin in Lome from 1984 to 1986, followed by a transformative period in France at the Academie de Beaux-Arts, Bordeaux, where he graduated in 1989.

A seasoned traveler, Edorh's artistic footprint has left an indelible mark across Africa, Europe, and the United States. His works find homes in esteemed public and private collections worldwide, including the National Museum of Art in Bamako, Mali; Fondation Jean-Paul Blachere in France; Lemhbruck Museum in Duisburg, Germany; and the Newark Museum in Newark, NJ.

Sokey Edorh has been honored with numerous awards, including the First Prize Young Painters Award at TVT, Lome in 1977, the Pollock-Krasner Award in 1993, the Heinrich Boll Foundation Award in Germany in 1994, and the Prix Djamilatou Bikami at the 2008 Dak’art Biennale in Dakar, Senegal.

Sokey Edorh's Art Style

At the heart of Edorh's artistic expression lies his mixed media paintings, where powerful imagery converges with intellectual critique to offer poignant reflections on societal issues. His works stand as a testament to the dual purpose of visual impact and critical analysis, weaving narratives that delve into language, symbolic systems, and communicative abstraction

Central to Edorh's artistic identity is his elaborately conceived symbolic alphabet system—an invention nurtured within the fabric of history. This system, decipherable only by the artist himself, draws inspiration from the ideograms on the dwellings of the Dogon hunters in Mali. The text serves as a metaphor for liberation from dictatorial systems that stifle free expression.

Edorh's art transcends time, referencing prehistoric shaman's encounters, personal journeys, and art history. His works exhibit a robust artistic language, tactile materiality, and visual complexity that reject traditional compositional norms. They embody an ambivalent emotional tone reflective of contemporary urban life, eschewing idealized pictorial representations.