TouRé Coffey

Born: 1965, Seattle, Washington

Lives: Brooklyn, New York

Touré’s life and artistic career are a testament to a profound and evolving creative spirit. His personal history is globally informed, beginning with his birth in Seattle, Washington, and shaped by formative years spent in the distinct cultural landscapes of London, England, and Montego Bay, Jamaica. This diverse upbringing laid a unique foundation for his artistic sensibility.
 

His first professional artistic language was that of the body. Touré’s initial journey was in the world of classical ballet, a discipline demanding immense precision and physical expression. His exceptional talent earned him a coveted scholarship to the prestigious Pacific Northwest Ballet School, a launchpad that led to him performing on renowned stages as a company artist with both The Dance Theatre of Harlem and the Miami City Ballet. This background ingrained in him a deep understanding of movement, form, and the power of non-verbal storytelling.
 

Seeking a new, more internalized medium, Touré transitioned from the stage to the canvas. Entirely self-taught, he began painting as a means to further explore and harness his innate creativity. His work as an intuitive abstract painter is deeply influenced by his past; his compositions convey a masterful sense of proportion, a dancer’s understanding of spatial relationships, and a carefully curated emotional palette. His paintings are not merely visual objects but silent sonatas, aiming to evoke a profound sense of calm and to communicate complex emotion without a single word or sound. Today, Touré continues his artistic exploration from his studio in Brooklyn, New York, where he creates work that is a silent, powerful synthesis of his rich and multifaceted journey.