Oct
A painter for almost 30 years, he began sketching when he was barely 9 years old. He exhibits his work in Monkey park and in Crocodile pool, two locations in the Gambia very popular among tourists. No one taught him how to paint. His father was a house painter and when he took him with him to paint houses, he would take charcoal with him and start sketching on the walls, realizing that he was actually good at it. This inspired him to study different styles on a learn-by-doing basis. He has transmitted this inspiration to his children, and his eldest son is also a painter in Monkey park. His muse is Africa, that is why he could never live somewhere else. He would love to travel and know other artists from other countries, but always returning to the Gambia: the Gambian sun, its people, the culture and the resources nature provides.
About Gambian artists and art, Lamin says: “They are very creative and gifted. They don’t learn it in school, they’re born with it. Through their sketching you can identify a good artist. For us, something as simple as the materials is already an odyssey. Materials are difficult to find in the Gambia. When I used to work in tie and dye, I learnt to create my own colors using natural resources. For instance, the stem of the Mango trees provides a beautiful brown color. Nature never fails you, so I trust in her to provide me with what I need to paint: inspiration and materials.”
