Clarke Toritseju Favour is a young Nigerian artist quickly becoming one of Nigeria’s most influential figures in modern art. His creative work won people’s hearts, setting an art record. He was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1996, and in addition to his given name, he is also known as Toju Clarke. He has a studio in Lagos State. Toju did not have a father figure growing up, which was the primary impetus for his desire to succeed. He channels his maximum creativity and energy to motivate others and draw them into his work.
The residence was the starting point for Toju Clarke’s career as a notable figure in modern art. His father worked his magic with colour using the palette knife as an impasto painter, which sparked his son’s interest in colours, imagination, and inventiveness. His father was an Impressionist painter. From 2008 to 2013, he attended elementary school in Lagos and high school in Oyo State. This was the next step in his journey. He took his first official step toward becoming an artist when he was in the nursery. Since then, it has been an uphill climb.
Toju Clarke.
The artist’s goal is “to continue making art that inspires others and connects with their experiences, such as mine. “
For Clarke Toritseju Favour to accomplish his long-term objective, he made the most of an opportunity to earn a national diploma in fine art in 2014 and a higher national diploma in graphic design in 2018. Both achievements were accomplished at the prestigious Yaba College of Technology, a higher education establishment well-known for producing talents such as himself. Toju is passionate about his art. In 2018, he reached a significant milestone when he was named the top finalist in the Nigerian Student Art Contest (NSAC) and an art director for Tribe-Fest. Both accomplishments were the result of Toju’s dedication to the arts.
Photo Source: Toju Clarke’s Facebook.
Toju worked on his skills and won the 2019 LIMCAF (Life in My City Art Festival) Best Graphic/Digital Artist award. Producing outstanding art is an art in and of itself that demands meticulous, artistic, and profound examination and thought.
Toju Clarke participated in the Rele boot camp workshop for the young contemporary programme in 2020, even though the world was during a pandemic. His goal was to broaden his scope of knowledge.
“Investigation into my artistic approach and method are recognised as both Sgraffito (the art of scratching on surfaces) and digital art. Sgraffito refers to the art of making marks by scratching on a surface. ” I’m trying to figure out how to combine the two types of art: traditional and technological. ” Consequently, I must travel more to accomplish my goal.”
His work has many different styles because he has the idea of mixing old and new art-making methods. As a result, his artwork received the recognition that it deserved. He was awarded artist support and a residency programme by Nomad artists, which Alimi Adewale formed to study Sgraffito further. He made the most of the available resources and put his considerable abilities into researching the sgraffito technique. This research occurred in a one-of-a-kind area in Lagos known as Freedom Park.
Toju Clarke was encouraged by the talented architect of Freedom Park in this venture, which was full of intelligent individuals with vast ideas. As a result, he was able to do all the extraordinary things he did while getting his higher national diploma at Yabatech. However, Toju Clarke continued. He successfully participated twice in a group show with Artpantheon Gallery, both under the direction of Nana Asumah, which took place in December 2021 and June 2022, respectively. In addition, during the most recent Dakar biennale in May 2022, the Life in My City Art Festival (LIMCAF) provided financial support for him to show his work in Dakar, Senegal.
Clarke Toritseju Favour, an alumnus of the Entrepreneur School “Next Economy/Fate Foundation” and a member of the charity organisation “The Executive Helping Initiative,” will hold three art exhibitions in December 2022. One will occur in London, and the other will be in Nigeria.
Photo Source: Toju Clarke’s Facebook.
Toju Clarke stays in touch with the art world by reading popular art blogs and using social media sites like Instagram. He effectively used social media’s power and promoted his work through it. In addition, he collaborated with galleries, curators, and collectors who had a strong reputation in the art world and a significant amount of influence. All excellent artists undergo various trials and tribulations to achieve excellence and resiliency. Toju Clarke is not an exception; he discusses his fight against it: “I’m expanding into a sector of the art world that has a problem with under-representation.” supplies and money to help advance my exploratory efforts. Even though art supplies are expensive in Nigeria, you won’t be able to get the quality you want. So, it would be forced to settle for less. This is a problem, to be sure.”
Toju Clarke is deeply committed to his art, and this dedication is evident in his work. He believes setting up work schedules is useless and makes it hard to see the bright side of life. Because he is an artist, he only needs to adhere to a timetable to do his work if he has specific engagements or deadlines. According to him, the most challenging obstacle to overcome as an artist is the inability to express himself through the form and method of his work. The piece of advice that he gives to other artists is, “Be friendly to others, develop an influence network, but bear in mind that every man is for himself without being selfish.” His commitment to his art is unwavering, and his passion and dedication inspire his work.