We are exceedingly pleased to announce Tito Valery’s arrival as the first AR-Resident at Wysing Arts Centre, in the vicinity of Cambridge, UK. Tito Valery is a internationally renowned radio, TV and media personality, as well as a photographer and political activist. Wysing Arts Centre will be hosting Valery from May through July, 2018.
Born CHIFOR C. VALERY, “Tito” is a Cameroonian activist, photographer and media personality from the anglophone city of Bamenda (North West). After studying law at the University of Buea, he begun his career as a radio DJ with a focus on hip-hop. In 2004, he began writing and hosting “The Break” on STV (Spectrum Television), the first show on Cameroonian television focussed on urban contemporary art. After six years on the show, he moved towards photography, opening his first solo exhibition ( Poe’Traits the poetry or portraits) at the controversial radical K-Factory gallery in 2010.
By 2014, Valery was an alumni of “Asiko”, Olabisi Silva’s CCA-Lagos powered curatorial project. Valery was invited by “Collectif Nord” to exhibit at the Dak’Art Biennale in 2014, where his “Hands” series addressed the setbacks and “handicaps” of artists from the Anglophone minority in Cameroon. Valery also worked as a correspondent for the BBC World Service “Arts Hour” radio programme from 2014-2015.
It’s been busy since – from playing legendary Harlem clubs in NYC to programming the Cameroon-focus and hosting the daily crossover radio show “Me and My Circumstances” at documenta14 Radio/Deutschlandfunk in 2017.
Tito Valery is an activist on anglophone/francophone issues, and writes regularly about the oppressive situation of young anglophone Cameroonian artists, and the current tensions more generally.
Receiving Jean Pierre Bekolo, Activist and Cannes-nominated film director, on the political situation in Cameroon.
Valery with Valsero Activist rapper/author of the game-changing track “Lettre au Président” (letter to the president).
Talk on spoken-word poetry and writing as an art form and tool of resistance to oppression @IYA art space buea, South West Province, May 2017.
Poster made calling for the liberation of now banned “Consortium” leader , barrister Agbor Nkongho. This poster was shared over 15k times on Faceboo
Some photographic works by Tito Valery
Heritage, from the exhibition “Northern Survivors”. Monochrome, 1/2015.
Fill the feeling from the 3-photo series ‘Flow’ shown at the RAVY festival YDE. Monochrome, 5/2016.
Lineage from the Portrait series “Ordinary Stars”. Monochrome, 7/2016.
IYA (Mother) from the exhibition “Northern Survivors”. Monochrome, 2/2015.
Tito Valery is an Artists at Risk (AR)-Resident, hosted in cooperation with AR-Wysing Arts Centre. The AR-Network is curated by Perpetuum Mobile (PM) and is coordinated by the AR-Secretariat, co-funded by Kone Foundation. This residency is funded by Arts Council England.
