“Themes related to nature, the environment, agriculture, but also ancient signs and symbols, appear regularly in my work.”
René Tosari received his art education at the ‘Nationaal Instituut voor Kunst & Cultuur’ in Suriname, at the ‘Academie Beeldende Kunsten’ in Rotterdam and at the ‘Gerrit Rietveld Academie’ in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Up until 2014, when he permanently settled in Suriname, René Tosari divided his time equally between the two countries of Suriname and the Netherlands, in both of which he has been very active in the arts.
Early in his career Tosari often created highly engaged, politically and socially motivated graphical art works. The artist is especially well known for his unique style and technique, in which the combined use of oils and acrylic paints, gives his paintings a unique texture and a mystical appearance. Also quite recognizable are the organic shapes and sharply outlined figures. Themes related to nature, the environment, agriculture, but also ancient signs and symbols, appear regularly in his work. He combines them with elements from his own artistic signature and creates compositions that speak their own universal visual language.
In 2015 René Tosari also completed an artist-in-residence period at the Tembe Art Studio (TAS) in Moengo, in the Surinamese district Marowijne. The artistically produced monologue of the artist René Tosari: diversity is Power, highlighting the artist’s fascinating career and extensive oeuvre, was first presented in the Netherlands in December 2018, and soon thereafter in Suriname in January 2019.
Selected biography:
https://africanah.org/rene-tosari-graphic-work/