Gîtes Ruraux de l’Ouest Art Gallery

Artist Residence and Office

The founder and director of Gîtes Ruraux de l’Ouest is René Pounde. René was born in Dschang, then left for Europe and America when he was 19 years old. He returned to his beloved Dschang twenty years later. René inherited his father’s passion for art. In 1995 he converted a restaurant on his property into a gallery/lecture hall and another small building into a studio, bedroom and office. Since that time, Gites Ruraux de l’Ouest has encouraged local art by providing a room, studio, and exhibition space free of charge to 8 artists, some of whom have gone onto to Paris and America to participate in new cultural exchanges.

Exorcism Objects, Foto Chiefdom, Dschang, 1909 

Wall Painting, Sergeo Demefak, 1999

drum, horns, metal

Sanzibox, 20x24x4",wood, metal, quills, paint

detail of Sanzibox

Sergeo Demefack produced these pieces as a resident artist in 2000.

Hendrixstick 45x16x4"

Guardians,  48" x 90" x 40",
metal, fiber, clay, and foam

Found Object, 27" x 10" x 34", paper, horns, rubber, metal, and paint

Gîtes Ruraux de l’Ouest would like to reach beyond Dschang and establish relationships with other centers and artists. Although currently only able to house one artist at a time, René hopes to find sponsors that would help him renovate a larger building on his property into a better facility. René would also like to establish a library and a computer center there. Although Gîtes Ruraux de l’Ouest has occasionally received support from the Alliance Franco-Camerounaise of Dschang, it is primarily financed though private donations. For more information about the center, or to offer your support, please write (in English or French) to:

René Pounde
Director of Gîtes Ruraux de l’Ouest
P.O. Box 04
Dschang
West Province
Republic of Cameroon
Africa
Fax: (237) 45-19-54