EL Loko

EL Loko, born 1950 Pédakondji, Togo and studied most notably under Josef Beuys, as well as Rolf Crummenauer and Erwin Heerich at Art Academy Duesseldorf, Germany. But it was Beuys who brought him to Germany and was his mentor. Though El Loko initially “encountered many clichés about art from Africa or an African as an artist” in the German art scene, he successfully found an artistic style and voice that helped him move beyond those clichés while combining the influences of his birth- and adopted homelands. According to Director of the Sprengel Museum Hannover Dr. Ulrich Krempel, "EL Loko's aim is to develop an universal language but without ever losing sight of his own origins. Indeed, since his arrival in Europe, he has at last been able to return, through a gradual process of development, to his own self, to a situation in which he can rediscover his own identity as a travelling and internationally active African artist."

El Loko’s work encompasses painting, wood cuts, sculpture, photography, poetry, reliefs, and installations. He has had dozens of solo and group exhibitions. During Documenta11, his work was displayed on city trains. EL Loko lived in Cologne and Pédakondji, where he died in September 2016.