Abdoulaye Konaté : recent works
Past exhibition
Press release
Primo Marella Gallery Milan is pleased to announce the solo exhibition of Abdoulaye Konaté.
“His works were the subject of several exhibitions and he took part in lots of international biennials. A long career marked by permanent research makes Abdoulaye Konaté one of the essential figures of contemporary art, which allows me to appoint him the title of Master. Master in his art, that is how an artist achieving recognition can be defined.”
Stated El Hadji Malick Ndiaye, the Artistic Director of the 14th edition of Dak'Art - Biennale de l'Art Africain Contemporain of Dakar (2022) on the catalogue of the Biennial.
Abdoulaye Konaté during his life had shows in the most important Museums and Biennials around the world; from East to West, from Asia to America.
In 2004 he participated in Africa Remix, in 2005 at the exhibition at the Center Pompidou, in 2007 at Documenta 12 Kassel, he was present as a protagonist in all subsequent international exhibitions of African art, in 2010 had a retrospective anthological exhibition at the Dakar Biennale, in 2017 one of his monumental works was exhibited at the Arsenale in the 57th Venice Biennale. In 2020 Abdoulaye Konaté presents his monumental and site-specific installation Idéogrammes, signes, symboles et logos (Hommage à Youssouf Tata Cissé et Germaine Dieterlen) at Zeitz MOCAA’s BMW Atrium. In 2020 Konaté has been invited to participate in the exhibition “Global(e) Resistance” at Centre Pompidou, Paris, with one of his historical installations, dated 1995-1996. In 2021 Abdoulaye Konaté has his first solo exhibition in Japan, “The Diffusion of Infinite Things”, held in Standing Pine spaces in Nagoya.
In 2022 the most relevant African Biennale: Dak’Art Biennale, payed him tribute as “The Master”, with the exhibition: Hommage à Abdoulaye Konaté, l’étoffe d’un maître, Former Palais de Justice (Courthouse), Cap Manuel, Dakar.
Three of his monumental works will be exhibited at the 14th Gwangju Biennale (South Korea, 2023).
El Hadji Malick Ndiaye, described his work as guided by two lines of force: aesthetics and socio-politics.
“On the one hand, aesthetics results from working with materials. The dexterity of the artist lies in his ability to play with textiles, giving them reliefs and shapes, with a graduation of colors that suggests movement just on the basis of the nuance of the hues”, notes the Museum Curator.
Then he pushes further his reflection: “His compositions testify to a subtle chromaticism in the arrangement of the pieces of fabric and the presence of important reliefs thanks to integrated objects. The minimalist regularity of the discontinuous bands introduces the formation of volumes and creates optical effects that sometimes come in a series of abstractions”.
The work of Konaté is marked by a profound humanism which resides in his ability to name cultural, social and political relations. The titles he gives to his works are surrounded by evocative power and symbolism: they become an introspection of History and Memory.
Through textile-based installations, made from woven, dyed clothes, traditional Malian cotton, as well as different type of international textiles, Konaté bears witness to a culture of which he seems to reveal some of its closest secret...
He engages, above all, in a reflection of the crises and issues that cross our time.
Referring to the West-African tradition of using textiles as a means of communication, the artist balances the global issues with an intimate reference to his own life and country. The textile used is not only a second skin, but also the support of a chromatic verb, almost religious. The works of Abdoulaye Konaté are scores of human drama and collective unconsciousness that evoke the ills of men and their difficulty in forging together a common destiny.
In this solo exhibition, Abdoulaye Konaté, will show in Milan two marvelous and large-scale artworks exhibited during the 14th edition of Dak'Art - Biennale de l'Art Africain Contemporain of Dakar (2022): Reine et Roi Ashanti (2021), Oiseau gris à queue jaune (2021) and eight brand new and unique artworks made especially for this exhibition at Primo Marella Gallery.
During this exhibition, we will be glad to walk with you through the incredible world of Abdoulaye Konaté.
“His works were the subject of several exhibitions and he took part in lots of international biennials. A long career marked by permanent research makes Abdoulaye Konaté one of the essential figures of contemporary art, which allows me to appoint him the title of Master. Master in his art, that is how an artist achieving recognition can be defined.”
Stated El Hadji Malick Ndiaye, the Artistic Director of the 14th edition of Dak'Art - Biennale de l'Art Africain Contemporain of Dakar (2022) on the catalogue of the Biennial.
Abdoulaye Konaté during his life had shows in the most important Museums and Biennials around the world; from East to West, from Asia to America.
In 2004 he participated in Africa Remix, in 2005 at the exhibition at the Center Pompidou, in 2007 at Documenta 12 Kassel, he was present as a protagonist in all subsequent international exhibitions of African art, in 2010 had a retrospective anthological exhibition at the Dakar Biennale, in 2017 one of his monumental works was exhibited at the Arsenale in the 57th Venice Biennale. In 2020 Abdoulaye Konaté presents his monumental and site-specific installation Idéogrammes, signes, symboles et logos (Hommage à Youssouf Tata Cissé et Germaine Dieterlen) at Zeitz MOCAA’s BMW Atrium. In 2020 Konaté has been invited to participate in the exhibition “Global(e) Resistance” at Centre Pompidou, Paris, with one of his historical installations, dated 1995-1996. In 2021 Abdoulaye Konaté has his first solo exhibition in Japan, “The Diffusion of Infinite Things”, held in Standing Pine spaces in Nagoya.
In 2022 the most relevant African Biennale: Dak’Art Biennale, payed him tribute as “The Master”, with the exhibition: Hommage à Abdoulaye Konaté, l’étoffe d’un maître, Former Palais de Justice (Courthouse), Cap Manuel, Dakar.
Three of his monumental works will be exhibited at the 14th Gwangju Biennale (South Korea, 2023).
El Hadji Malick Ndiaye, described his work as guided by two lines of force: aesthetics and socio-politics.
“On the one hand, aesthetics results from working with materials. The dexterity of the artist lies in his ability to play with textiles, giving them reliefs and shapes, with a graduation of colors that suggests movement just on the basis of the nuance of the hues”, notes the Museum Curator.
Then he pushes further his reflection: “His compositions testify to a subtle chromaticism in the arrangement of the pieces of fabric and the presence of important reliefs thanks to integrated objects. The minimalist regularity of the discontinuous bands introduces the formation of volumes and creates optical effects that sometimes come in a series of abstractions”.
The work of Konaté is marked by a profound humanism which resides in his ability to name cultural, social and political relations. The titles he gives to his works are surrounded by evocative power and symbolism: they become an introspection of History and Memory.
Through textile-based installations, made from woven, dyed clothes, traditional Malian cotton, as well as different type of international textiles, Konaté bears witness to a culture of which he seems to reveal some of its closest secret...
He engages, above all, in a reflection of the crises and issues that cross our time.
Referring to the West-African tradition of using textiles as a means of communication, the artist balances the global issues with an intimate reference to his own life and country. The textile used is not only a second skin, but also the support of a chromatic verb, almost religious. The works of Abdoulaye Konaté are scores of human drama and collective unconsciousness that evoke the ills of men and their difficulty in forging together a common destiny.
In this solo exhibition, Abdoulaye Konaté, will show in Milan two marvelous and large-scale artworks exhibited during the 14th edition of Dak'Art - Biennale de l'Art Africain Contemporain of Dakar (2022): Reine et Roi Ashanti (2021), Oiseau gris à queue jaune (2021) and eight brand new and unique artworks made especially for this exhibition at Primo Marella Gallery.
During this exhibition, we will be glad to walk with you through the incredible world of Abdoulaye Konaté.
Installation Views
Works
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Abdoulaye Konaté
Vert Touareg-1 A 2017
Textile
226 × 181,5
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Abdoulaye KonatéEtude de valeur (lumière 1) 2017Textile233 × 222 cm
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Abdoulaye KonatéBleu, rouge, orangé et blanc 2019Textile274 × 190 cm
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Abdoulaye KonatéRouge touareg (noir, bleu, et vert) 2019Textile234 × 147 cm
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Abdoulaye KonatéComposition aux 3 losanges (décembre) 2021Textile167 × 157 cm
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Abdoulaye KonatéReine et Roi Ashanti 2021Textile230 x 628 cm
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Abdoulaye KonatéBleu pour Tibet 2022Textile115 x 117 cm
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Abdoulaye KonatéComposition noire et jaune No 1 2022Textile206 x 155 cm
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Abdoulaye KonatéGris et rouge pour Tibet 2022Textile115 x 17 cm
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Abdoulaye Konaté“Gris - gris blancs - cadre Tibet 2023“ P.M. 2023textile227,5 × 164 cm
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Abdoulaye KonatéLosange rouge touareg (noir, rouge, bleu et orange) 2022Textile160 x 118 cm
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Abdoulaye KonatéOcre orangé aux 3 trapèzes 2022Textile115 x 114 cm