Pascale Marthine Tayou (born Nkongsamba, Cameroon, 1966) is an artist whose work is characterised by its variability, not confined to one subject, material or medium. Instead, the artist always takes his own self as the point of departure. At the very outset of his career, Pascale Marthine Tayou changed his name to incorporate a feminine ending, thus distancing himself from the importance of artistic authorship and male/female ascriptions. The variability of his practice applies also to geography and cultural origin. His works not only mediate between various experiences, perspectives and backgrounds, but are produced in the knowledge that they themselves are social, cultural, or political constructions. All works by Tayou have a recurrent feature in common: they dwell upon an individual moving through the world and exploring the issue of origins and related expectations.
His work has been internationally recognised, including with particapation in Documenta 11 (2002) in Kassel and at the Venice Biennale (2005 and 2009).
The artist lives and works in Ghent, Belgium and in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
