Yao Metsoko
Mixed media artist | Togo
Yao Metsoko (1965) creates symbol-rich mixed media works that explore memory, mythology, and the invisible. Drawing on African cosmology and his Akposso heritage, he blends natural materials, totemic imagery, and abstract forms to express spiritual and ancestral presence. His work often bridges the physical and metaphysical, inviting a reflective engagement with both personal and collective histories.
"I hope to demystify what it means to be an African Artist through my strength and creativity. The experience of creation is divine."
Portrait
Yao Metsoko (b. 1965, Togo) is a Franco-Togolese artist whose work explores the relationship between tradition, spirituality, and contemporary expression. Born in the village of Tomégbé near the Ghanaian border, Metsoko draws from his Akposso heritage to create a rich, symbolic visual language that bridges African and Western cultures.
Influenced early on by his mother’s religious imagery and the oral stories of his grandparents, Metsoko’s work is deeply rooted in memory, myth, and the unseen. He often uses materials like burlap and integrates totems—such as elephants, palm trees, and fish—as symbols of connection between the visible and the invisible.
His practice spans painting, mixed media, and installation, blending natural elements, traditional iconography, and abstract forms. Themes such as ancestry, nature, the feminine, and transformation are central to his work, as is a spiritual quest to unify inner and outer worlds.
Describing himself as an “energy passer,” Metsoko invites viewers to engage with his works not only visually but also intuitively—encountering echoes of the sacred and the enduring presence of the intangible.
Photo: RFI
Works (coming soon)
Credentials
2019
- Ô souffle créateur, Artist Residency at Villa Séguro, Lomé, Togo
- Ô couleurs d'Afrique, Institut français, Berlin, Germany
2018
- TRAFFICITY, with HBMC & La Maison Rouge, Cotonou, Benin
2017
- ZEMIDJAN, Galerie Carole Kvasnevski, Paris (17th arrondissement)
2016
- Festival Afrique, Galerie Mouv’Art, Auxerre, France
- Le grand jeu des correspondances de Yao METSOKO, ECART, Paris
2015
- La danse des dieux, 60 Adada, Saint-Denis
- Galerie Hce, Saint-Denis
2012
- Les forces de la terre, City Hall of Pierrefitte, France
2011
- Abolition de l’esclavage, Salle des pas perdus – UNESCO, Paris
- Galerie 14, Toucy (Burgundy), France
- SAUVAGE!, Maison M, Saint-Denis (curators: Fiona Meadows & Giscard Bouchotte)
2009
- 1st Assises of Decentralized Cooperation, General Council of Yvelines – Guest of Honor: Togo
- Galerie Mailletz, Paris (5th arrondissement)
- Galerie Philippe Lawson, Paris (7th arrondissement)
2005
- Restaurant/Gallery Le Massaï Mara, Paris (19th arrondissement)
2004
- 5ème Festival de Lutte contre les discriminations, Université Paris 13
2020
- Entre Ciel et Terre : regard subtile sur l’invisible, Artist residency with Ocha, Ouidah, Benin
2019
- L'Afrique au delà des masques, Galerie l'Ecu de France, Viroflay
2018
- BIG BANG, Galerie Carole Kvasnevski, Paris (1st arrondissement)
2017
- World Cultures Festival, FullCircleAfrica, Cultural Centre, Hong Kong
- Flamboyance, Togolese Embassy in France, Paris (17th arrondissement)
- Mu-Gallery (with La Galerie Africaine), Paris (9th arrondissement)
- Salon Zürcher AFRICA, Galerie Africaine, Paris (curator: Aude Minart)
2016
- Mode is Art 2016, Galerie Joseph, Paris (3rd arrondissement)
- Salon d’Automne, Espace Mythes & Singularité, Paris
- L’Afrique au delà des masques, Galerie Africaine with Aude Minart, Paris (16th arrondissement)
- Art Vilnius 2016, with Ifaa Contemporary, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Kölner Liste Art Fair 2016, with Ifaa Contemporary, Cologne, Germany
- JUST MAKE ART 2016, Special guest at conference-debate, Paris (3rd arrondissement)
- Journée internationale des droits de la Femme, representing Sub-Saharan Africa with UNESCO Africa Group, UNESCO, Paris (7th arrondissement)
2015
- Emerging from the Black, Galerie Goldenberg, Paris (8th arrondissement)
- Mode is Art, 4th edition by Wêni, Novotel Ibis, Benin
- Histoires de Passages Festival, Argentat-sur-Dordogne
- L’Art pour la Paix, Women and Peace, UNESCO, Paris
2014
- Kirshes-ban.de, with Espace Canopy, Cologne, Germany
- L’Art pour la Paix, UNESCO, Paris
- Human Arts World 2014 – From Chaos to Peace, Wambrechies
2012
- Human Arts World 2012, Fort du Vert Galant, Wambrechies
- Guest of Honor at Festival Afriques 2012, Wambrechies
- France ô ma France, under Pont Alexandre III, Paris (with LES GARDIENS DU PONT, Jean-Michel Wilmotte, Pierre Cornette de Saint Cyr, Alain Depardieu)
2011
- 22nd International Festival of Geography, St-Dié-des-Vosges (Togo Guest of Honor – Gold Medalist)
- Du Noir au Blanc, curated by Marie-Laure Croiziers, Le 6b, Saint-Denis
- Gala Dekkal Thiossane, Launch of 3rd World Festival of Black Arts, UNESCO, Paris
2010
- African 2010, with AMREF, Pavillon Cambon, Paris (1st arrondissement)
- International Book and Arts Fair, L’Haÿ-les-Roses
- PAMOJA 2010, 50th Independence Celebrations, UNESCO, Paris
- Pleins feux sur le Togo, Médiathèque de Montbéliard
- Ricky Ford, Philippe Levy-Stab & Yao Metsoko, Galerie 14, Toucy, Burgundy
2009
- Heritage Days 2009, Municipal Art Collection Exhibition, Pierrefitte
- Contemporary African Art & Craft Sale, Grand Chancellery of the Légion d'Honneur, Palais de Salm, Paris (curator: Joëlle le Bussy)
- 1st Outdoor International Contemporary Art Fair – PLACE AUX ARTISTES!, Paris (5th arrondissement)
- Galerie Métanoïa, Paris (4th arrondissement)
- 4th Biennial of Sculpture, Montmagny (95)
- African Week at UNESCO, 2007, 2009, 2010, Paris
2008
- Le moment transmuté, Galerie Les Vergers de l’Art, Paris (3rd arrondissement)
- 13th Meeting of Contemporary African Art, Château de Villiers, Draveil (91)
- Galerie 14, Toucy, Burgundy
2007
- Fenêtre sur l’Afrique, under Pont Alexandre III, Paris (curators: Marie-Laure Croiziers & Patrick Brunie)
- Art d’Afrique: là-bas, ici…, General Council of Puy-de-Dôme, Clermont-Ferrand
- Maison d’Art, Domaine du Canalet, Lodève
2006
- Rencontres africaines, ACANTHE Artist Village, Grange du Prieuré, La Ferté-Loupière (89110)
- Contemporary Painting and its Crafts, Christiane Peugeot Cultural Center, Paris (17th arrondissement)
- Guest of Honor, 51st UAP Salon (Union of Plastic Artists of Saint-Denis)
2005
- 1st Prize in Modeling, 1st International Biennale of Contemporary Sculpture, Nolay
2004
- Carré Davidson, Tours
- Galerie Haus, Rüdersdorf, Germany
2003
- Festival of Afro and Mixed Cultures – BISSO BESSE, Lyon
- Mémoire Vive, City Hall of Paris (9th arrondissement)
2001
- Black Women’s Voices on the Big Screen, Images d’Ailleurs, Paris (5th arrondissement)
1997
- Ouverture, Regard du monde, Grande Arche Rooftop, La Défense
1995
- 25th Anniversary of ACCT, Voyage en Francophonie, Espace Branly, Paris (7th arrondissement)
1992
- 28th Painting and Sculpture Salon, Château de Saint-Ouen (93)
2025
- Forces of Nature: Artist Residency with Sanda Doudou at OpenArtExchange, Schiedam, The Netherlands