Toju Micheal Ogbe is a Nigerian mixed media artist focused on newspaper and fabrics collage for visual storytelling and documentation of progress in societies.
Art/Artist summary
- Artist: Toju Micheal Ogbe
- Art type: Mixed media (collage)
- Genre: Good news art (positive news and truthful information)
- Materials: Newspapers, magazines, posters, cloth, gum, pictures, beads, markers, etc.
- Start date: November 28, 2022
- Number of works created: Over 35
- Gallery: PositiveNaija Art Gallery and Gift Shop
- Contact details: Phone (+2349064503292); Email (tojuunderscoremicheal@gmail.com); Twitter (@Toju_Micheal); Fine Art America (Toju Ogbe)
- Teacher/Mentor: Cliff I. Agba
- Art summary: Truthfully, documenting the positive progress and excellence in various areas of life as published in (Nigerian) newspapers on specific dates.
Art Works by Toju Micheal Ogbe
- Armed Forces Remembrance Day
- Cliff Izuchukwu Agba
- Democracy Day
- Good News
- International Anti-Corruption Day
- International Clean Energy Day
- International Day Against Drug Abuse And Illicit Trafficking
- International Education Day
- International Human Rights Day
- International Human Solidarity Day
- International Joke Day
- International Workers’ Day
- Lionel Messi
- Mother’s Day
- Nigerian Independence Day
- Nigerian Stock Exchange Market
- Pele
- Valentine’s Day
- World AIDS Day
- World Cancer Day
- World Diabetes Day
- World Food Day
- World Malaria Day
- World NGO Day
- World Teachers’ Day
Artist profile: Toju Micheal Ogbe
Documentation of good news and positive progress which occur in various areas of life and in different societies based on reliable curation of published information on newspapers/magazines or other papers of information alongside colourful representations is the artistic focus of Toju Micheal Ogbe’s mixed media art works. He is therefore regarded as a historian and recorder of events in societies revealing at specific periods of time, the level of positive progress and excellence attained by mankind.
His unique puzzle-like works of collage of several layers of tough gums are reflective of his core values (truth, love, positivity and excellence) and a call to humans to appreciate themselves as capable of doing good and focus on the impact of such actions no matter how little they may appear.
In his works, generally is the use of colourful fabrics on the entire borders of the canvas as representative of the mood or context of the subject matter. A first layer of newspaper(s) (from the news of the specific day/period) is then used over the canvas, which also acts a background to the main newspaper cuts (second layer), which are then placed on top; signifying that in the midst of all kinds of news and information, the particular subject matter of focus has been brought to the fore for recognition, reflection or possible further action(s).
He is an author, a journalist, researcher, graphic designer, media publisher/entrepreneur and began his newspaper mixed media collage art on November 28, 2022 under the mentorship of Cliff Agba. His works demonstrate clarity, durability and contemporariness. He lives and works in Abuja, Nigeria.
Contact email: tojuunderscoremicheal@gmail.com
