Tessilim ADJAYI (1988) is a photographer and filmmaker based in Lomé, Togo.
In 2013, he earned a professional degree in audiovisual studies at ISMA (Benin), took part in the OFF-COURTS Festival (France), and worked at Laboratoire Photo Shop in Lomé.
Inspired by traditional and identity-based forms of peoples, he came to prominence in 2018 with his documentary "Rejoindre l’Europe, Mourir en Mer" (Joining Europe, Dying at Sea), which was presented and awarded at several festivals. He then went on to exhibit internationally: India, France, Lagos Photo, the Philippines, South Africa… In 2020, he held more than twenty major exhibitions. In 2022, he participated in the 19th Asian Art Biennale (Dhaka, Bangladesh) and completed a creative residency at Le Centre (Benin). In 2023, he represented Togo in photography at the IX IXes Jeux de la Francophonie (DRC), and in 2024 took part in "Magies Ordinaires" (193 Gallery, Paris), "Visage, Dévisage" (Musée de Peinture de Saint-Frajou), among others.
His works are included in public and private collections in Togo, as well as at the Fantapia M – Chang Kil-Hwan Art Museum (South Korea) and at Les Abattoirs, Musée – Frac Occitanie Toulouse (France). He has received more than a dozen awards, including the Bangiya Kala Pratibha Award (India) and the 2nd Prize of the JustPhoto Contest (Market Photo Workshop, South Africa).
by togophotofestival in Instagram
