Moses Salihou is a Cameroonian artist based in Toronto. He explores the ideas of belonging and existence by creating work that blends elements of portraiture and abstraction. Salihou's thick application of paint creates a textural intensity that mirrors our own internal complexities. Central to Salihou’s work is his belief that human beings are composites of various identities, experiences, beliefs, and emotions. Salihou’s gestural application leaves the defining features on the faces of his portraits only loosely representational. The portraits become composites of various people rather than fixed and stable identities, allowing the observer to be a participant rather than just a viewer. These rich surface effects provide Salihou’s work with a sense of dynamism that captures the fluidity and movement he ascribes to the concepts of identity and personhood.
Salihou has exhibited across the United States and Canada. His work is also in private collections globally, including Europe, New Zealand, Africa, Asia, Canada, and the US.
Nationality: Cameroon
Residence: Canada
