Hervé Yamguen

Hervé Yanguem
Hervé Yanguen during a performance, Douala, 2010
Born	(1971-06-17)June 17, 1971 Douala Cameroon
Nationality	Cameroonian
Education	Ecole Superiore des Arts Decoratifs in Strasburg
Known for	Painting, Sculpture
Notable work	Le temps de la saison verte (1998),

Herve Yamguen (born 1971 in Douala) is a Cameroonian painter and sculptor. Autodidact, he launched himself in painting, sculpture and he discovered a passion for the writing which enables him to wonder about its daily live. He currently works on plays.

He grew in Douala where he lives and works in one of the most popular districts of the city, New Bell. It is this environment which nourishes the imaginary of Hervé whose plastic work turns around the face, the body and the place of it in the world.

Herve Yamguen was born into a family with deeply rooted traditions, who initially refused to accept his choice to become an artist. From childhood, he was attracted by the way in which artists interpret reality in their works. He realizes that making art guides one out of ignorance and lets one wonder about the human being. He started painting at the age of 17 and fully embraces the profession of artist by the late 1980s, after refusing to enter the monastery. After that his family encouraged him to continue on his path of artist. Self-taught, he learned by reading about art history, which led him to develop his singular vision of art. Subsequently, he received a year of training (2000-2001) at École des Arts Décoratifs (ESAD) in Strasbourg, France. He has done many study and production residencies in Cameroon and abroad.

Hervé Yamguen is also known for his writting (several publications) about the visual arts (drawing, painting, sculpture). He has made a few forays into photography, performance, installation and has regularly done stage designs for the theater. The themes present in his work are eroticism, the questioning of the human-plant-animal and bird. Through these themes, he tells the story of humans and invites one to look at life with wonder; the small details of daily life that represent the beauty of the world and make life more pleasurable. Yamguen is inspired by the work (technical, power of the work, style) of several writers and artists who work on wonder, whimsy and imagination: Matisse, Picasso, Henri Michaud, and the surrealist poets. The artist wants to invite the public to reflect on his humanity in order to become better. According to him, the reception of his work is not enthusiastic: either it is too risqué or inaccessible.