Style and Self with Ajarb Bernard Ategwa

Cameroonian artist, Ajarb Bernard Ategwa, creates paintings that pull you in with its colour and patterns. In his 2024 works, he shifts a bit from the hustle and bustle of city life that he is known for, to focus even more on the individual - how they present themselves through clothing, pose, and attitude.

His portraits draw on studio photography, social media, Cameroonian textile patterns, flowers, and bold blocks of colour. The outfits are not just decoration but are part of his subject’s identity and the way they speak to the world.

Ajarb’s work treats personal style as something powerful - a critical form of self-expression and cultural pride.

See some of our favourite works from the African artist.

Purchase Ajarb’s work on Artsy.