The artist
Abdoulaye Konaté, born in Diré in 1953, is one of Africa's leading figures in the visual arts. He works in tapestry, dressmaking, painting and sculpture, using fabric as his main creative material. He creates installations in which he uses traditional objects as an alphabet. By combining Western modernism with African symbolism, he fuses the expressiveness of traditional textiles with symmetrical, even hierarchical compositions, evoking the protection of ethnic and cultural heritage, Africa's place in the world, and global socio-political relations that resonate far beyond his local context.
Exhibitions
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The Soul of Signs
April 24 - June 15, 2024
Brussels
Biography
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| Birth | Born in Diré, Mali in 1953 Lives and works in Bamako, Mali |
|---|---|
| Education | Institut National des Arts of Bamako |
| 1972 – 1976 | Institut National des Arts de Bamako, Mali |
| 1978 – 1985 | Institut Supérieur des Arts Plastiques de La Havane, Cuba |
SOLO EXHIBITIONS (SELECTION)
| 2024 | TEMPLON, Brussels, Belgium |
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| 2023 | Prélude, LGDR, Paris, France |
| 2022 | Between Oneirism and Reality, La Galerie 38, Casablanca, Morocco Hommage à Abdoulaye Konaté, l’étoffe d’un maître, Dak’Art, Senegal Des Petits Formats à Dakar, Grand Théâtre National, Dakar, Senegal |
| 2021 | Les Plis de l’âme, La Galerie 38, Casablanca, Morocco Les Petits Tableaux, Primae Noctis Art Gallery, Lugano, Switzerland / Primo Marella Gallery, Milan, Italy Lune Bleue, Espace Dominique Bagouet, Montpellier, France The Diffusion of Infinite Things, Standing Pine, Nagoya, Japan |
| 2020 | Idéogrammes, signes, symbols et logos, Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town, South Africa Couleur d’âme, Blain|Southern, New York, USA Abdoulaye Konaté, Gallery 1957, Accra, Ghana |
| 2018 | Textile in Art, The Red Door Gallery, Lagos, Nigeria Abdoulaye Konaté, Richard Koh Fine Art, Kuala Lampur, Malaysia |
| 2017 | L’étoffe des songes, galerie 38, Casablanca, Morocco L’étoffe des songes – Afrique en capitale, Fondation CDG, Rabat, Morocco Abdoulaye Konaté, Musée Mohamed VI, Rabat, Morocco |
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| 2016 | Abdoulaye Konaté, ARKEN Museum for Moderne Kunst, Ishøj, Denmark Symphonie en couleur, Blain|Southern, London, UK Abdoulaye Konaté, Primae Noctis Art Gallery, Lugano, Switzerland Abdoulaye Konaté, Primo Marella Gallery, Milan, Italy |
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| 2015 | Useful Dreams, Blain|Southern, Berlin, Germany Abdoulaye Konaté, Norrköping Konstmuseum, Norrköping, Sweden Abdoulaye Konaté, Primo Marella Gallery, Milan, Italy Southern Panoramas, 19th Festival Contemporary Art Festival, São Paulo, Brazil |
| 2014 | Le pouvoir du textile, Galerie le Manège, Biennale d’art contemporain, Dakar, Senegal |
| 2013 | Abdoulaye Konaté, The World in Textile, Afrika Museum, Berg en Dal, Netherlands Abdoulaye Konaté, Primo Marella Gallery, Milan, Italy |
| 2012 | Abdoulaye Konaté, ESADHar – École Supérieure d’Art et Design, Le Havre, France Abdoulaye Konaté, Teintures Teintures, Maison Revue Noire, Paris, France Abdoulaye Konaté, Fondation Festival sur le Niger, Ségou, Mali Abdoulaye Konaté, Project Window, Iniva, Rivington Place, London, UK |
| 2011 | La toile d’Abdoulaye Konaté, Galerie Nationale d’Art de Dakar, Senegal Galerie VIP, Marseille, France |
| 2010 | Abdoulaye Konaté, Rétrospective, Biennale De Dakar, Senegal |
| 2009 | Abdoulaye Konaté, Le Temps de Dance, Galerie Saro Leon, Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain Abdoulaye Konaté: Textile, Forum für Kunst, Heidelberg, Germany |
| 2001 | Chapelle Jeanne d’Arc, Thouars, France |
| 1999 | Tuchbilder + Installation, Dany Keller Galerie, Munich, Germany |
| 1998 | Galerie GO, Abidjan, Ivory Coast |
| 1992 | Abdoulaye Konaté, Musée National du Mali, Bamako, Mali Abdoulaye Konaté, Institut Fondamental d’Afrique Noire, Dakar, Senegal |
| 1990 | Paysages et Masques II, Galerie Tatou, Bamako, Mali |
| 1988 | Galerie GO, Abidjan, Ivory Coast |
| 1983 | Abdoulaye Konaté, Le Petit Salon, La Havane, Cuba |
| 1976 | Abdoulayé Konaté, Maison du Peuple, Diré, Mali |
COLLECTIVE EXHIBITIONS (SELECTION)
| 2024 | Biennale de Dakar, Senegal |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 14th Gwangju Biennale, Gwanju, South Korea |
| 2022 | Documenta 15, Kassel, Germany Still alive, Aichi Triennale, Japan Expo Dubai 2020, Mali Pavillon, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Current Identities, Bode Project, Berlin, Germany Un Fil Rouge, with Barthélémy Toguo, Ky Siriki And Soly Cissé, Gallery 1957, Accra, Ghana |
| 2021 | The Black Era, Primo Marella Gallery, Milan, Italy Threads, Zwartzusters monastery, Duende Art Projects, Antwerp, Belgium |
| 2020 | Global(e) Resistance, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France |
| 2019 | Africa Universe, Primo Marella Gallery, Milan, Italy Africa Universe, Primo Marella Gallery, Lugano, Switzerland Hier est la mémoire d’aujourd’hui, L’espace Commines, Paris, France Boundless Encounters : The 3rd Hangzou Triennal of Fiber Art, Hangzhou, China On the Spiritual Matter of Art, MAXXI Museo nazionale delle arti del XXI secolo, Rome, Italy KUBATANA : An Exhibition with Contemporary African artists, Vestfossen Kunstlaboratorium, Oslo, Norway Lend Me Your Dream / Prête-moi Ton Rêve – Traveling exhibition ; Le Studio des Arts Vivants, L’Artorium, Casablanca, Morocco ; Museum of Black Civilizations, Dakar, Senegal ; The Contemporary Arts Rotonde, Abidjan, Ivory Coast ; Lagos, Nigeria ; Cape Town, South Africa ; African Union Headquarters Addis-Abeba, Ethiopia ; Rabbat, Morocco La construcción de lo possible, 13th Havana Biennial, Cuba |
| 2018 | African Civilizations : Continous Creation of Humanity, Museum of Black Civilizations, Dakar, Senegal New Materialism, Bonniers Konsthall, Stockholm, Sweden African Metropolis. An imaginary city, MAXXI, Rome, Italy Ravelled Threads, Sean Kelly Gallery, New York, USA Talisman in the Age of Difference, Stephen Friedman Gallery, London, UK Pulling out Threads, Norval Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa Mobile Worlds or The Museum of our Transcultural Present, Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany |
Voir plus
| 2017 | Metropolis Afrique Capitales, la Villette, Paris, France Viva Arte Viva, 57th Biennale, Venice, Italy Vers le Cap de Bonne Espérance, Gare Saint Sauveur, Lille, France The Summer Show 2017, Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK L’Afrique en capitale, musée Mohammed VI d’Art Moderne et Contemporain, Rabat, Morocco |
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| 2016 | Still (the) Barbarians, EVA International, Irish Biennial, Limerick, Ireland 12 Solos, Blain|Southern, Berlin, Germany Afterwork, ILHAM Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Promenade à Bamako, Eiffage, Contemporary Art Biennial, Dakar, Senegal |
| 2015 | ART_TEXTILES, The Whitworth, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK 19th Contemporary Art Festival Sesc_Videobrasil | Southern Panoramas, São Paulo, Brazil Streamlines: Metaphorical and Geopolitical Interpretations of the Oceans, Deichtorhallen International Kunst und Fotografie, Hambourg, Germany Obsession, Maison Particulière, Brusels, Belgium Katrine Helmersson and Abdoulaye Konaté, Norrköping Konstmuseum, Norrköping, Sweden |
| 2014 | How Far How Near, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| 2013 | The Divine Comedy: Heaven, Hell, Purgatory revisited by Contemporary African Artists, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, USA The Divine Comedy: Heaven, Hell, Purgatory revisited by Contemporary African Artists, Museum für Moderne Kunst, Francfort, Germany Decorum, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, France International Sculpture Route Amsterdam Art Zuid 2013, Amsterdam, Netherlands Marker 2013, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Métamorphoses, Musée Bargoin, Clermont Ferrand, France |
| 2012 | Hollandaise, SMBA, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Netherlands We face forward: Art from West Africa today, Whitworth Art Gallery, The University of Manchester, UK RAW Material Company, Centre pour l’Art, le Savoir et la Société, Dakar, Senegal |
| 2011 | Dégagements… La Tunisie un an après, Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, France Mixités : Daouda N'Diaye, Abdoulaye Konaté, Nestor Da, Aimé Mpane, Romuald Hazoume, Ndary Lo - Les chantiers de la Lune, La Seyne-sur-mer, France Fondation Festival sur le Niger, Ségou, Mali |
| 2010 | Primo Marella Gallery, Milan, Italy Festival des Arts nègres, Dakar, Senegal L'Art actuel d'Afrique, Collégiale Saint-André, Chartres, France Textiles ou Fragments de l'Histoire d'une Collection, Fondation Jean-Paul Blachère, Bonnieux, France |
| 2009 | Africa Una Nuova Storia. Complesso del Vittoriano, Rome, Italy Havana Biennial, Cuba |
| 2008 | Artes Mundi, Musée National de Cardiff, UK INPUT, Colecção Sindika Dokolo - Museu Nacional de História Natural, Luanda, Angola Travesía, Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno (CAAM), Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain 7th Gwangju Biennale, Gwangju, South Korea Angaza Afrika - African Art Now, October Gallery, London, UK Afrique : Miroir ? Biennale d’Art contemporain, Dakar, Senegal Grey Art Gallery New York, New York University, USA 1st Brussels Biennal, Brussels, Belgium |
| 2007 | Three Questions for Art and Its Audience, Documenta 12, Documenta - Kassel, Germany Brocken Memory, Ghana National Art Museum, Accra, Ghana Contact Zone, Musée National du Mali, Bamako, Mali Africa Remix, Contemporary art of a continent: Museum Kunstpalast, Dusseldorf, Germany Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France Hayward Gallery, London, UK Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan Johannesburg Art Gallery, South Africa |
| 2006 | Unhomely: Phantom Scenes in Global Society, 2nd International Biennal of Contemporary Art, Sevilla (BIACS 2), Sevilla, Spain Angola Pop, Triennale de Luanda, Angola Afrique : Entendus, Sous-entendus et malentendus, Biennale d’art contemporain, Dakar, Senegal Chambre Malienne, Fondation Jean-Paul Blachère, Bonnieux, France |
| 2004 | Africa Remix, Kunspalast, Dusseldorf, Germany |
| 2003 | Musée du design et des arts appliqués contemporains de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland Palais des Beaux-arts, Brussels, Belgium Maison des Arts, Paris, France |
| 2002 | Musée de Picardie, Amiens, France |
| 2001 | Abdoulaye Konaté, Amahiguere Dolo et Ismaël Diabate, Grand Théâtre d'Angers, France |
| 1998 | Routes of Passage, Johannesburg Biennale, Johannesburg, South Africa 24th Biennale of São Paulo, Brazil 7th Triennale der Kleinplastik, Stuttgart, Germany |
| 1997 | Die Anderen Modernen, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, Germany Modernities and Memories, Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy Permanent installation, Lisbon, Portugal |
| 1996 | The Other Journey, Kunst Halle, Krems, Austria |
| 1995 | Rencontres Africaines, Caixa General de Deposito, Lisbon, Portugal African art of our time: an inside story, Setagaya Museum, Tokyo, Japan Otro Pais, Palais de la Vireina, Barcelona, Spain |
| 1994 | Rencontres Africaines, Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, France Otro Pais, Centre Atlantique d’Art Moderne, Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain |
| 1992 | Biennale de Dakar, Senegal |
| 1991 | Regard Croisés, Musée National du Mali, Bamako, Mali Siège World Bank, Banque Mondiale, Washington, USA Association pour la Diffusion de l'Art Plastique Africain Contemporain (A.D.A.P.A.C.) Paris, France Tsurumoto Room Co, LTD Shibuyo, Shibuyo Ku-Tokyo, Japan |
| 1990 | ADEIAO, Musée National des Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie, Paris, France |
| 1986 | Biennale de la Havane, La Havane, Cuba Artistes Maliens et Soviétiques au Palais de la Culture, Palais de la Culture, Bamako, Mali |
| 1984 | Havana Biennial, La Havane, Cuba |
| 1983 | Salon 13 de Marzo, Galerie Oriente, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba 8th Mali Artistic and Cultural Biennal, Palais de la Culture, Bamako, Mali |
| 1978 | Jeunes Peintres du Mali, Institut National des Arts, Bamako, Mali |
HONORS
| 2009 | Officier de l’Ordre National du Mali |
|---|---|
| 2002 | Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres de la République française |
| 1996 | Grand Prix Léopold Sédar Senghor, Biennale d’Art Africain, Dakar |
PRIZES AND AWARDS
| 2008 | Prix passeport - Créateurs sans Frontières, France |
|---|---|
| 1996 | Prix de la Biennale de Dakar, Senegal |
| Docteur Honoris Causa en Art de l’Institut Supérieur des Arts Plastiques de La Havane (ISA), Cuba | |
| 1985 | Painting first prize, Salon 13 Marzo de l’Université de La Havane, Cuba |
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS (SELECTION)
| Africain Al Maaden, MACAAL, Marrakech, Morocco | |
| Afrika Museum, Berg en Dal, Netherlands | |
| Arken Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark | |
| Banque des États de l’Afrique Occidentale, Dakar, Senegal | |
| Centre Pompidou, Paris, France |
BIBLIORAPHY (SELECTION)
| 2022 | Abdoulaye Konaté, Primo Marella Gallery, Milan, Italy |
|---|---|
| 2019 | Africa Universe, Primo Marella Gallery, Milan, Italy |
| 2017 | The Black Sphinx, Primo Marella Gallery, Milan, Italy |
| 2013 | The World in textile, Afrika Museum, Berg en Dal, Netherlands |
| 2010 | Guide des artistes plasticiens du Mali/ Tomes 1 et 2. Acte Sept, Mali |
| Africa, Assume Art Position !, Primo Marella Gallery, Milan, Italy | |
| 2009 | La Biennale de Dakar : Pour une esthétique de la création contemporaine africaine; Interview with Adorno of Yacouba Konaté and Valentin Yves Mudimbé. Éditions L’Harmattan. Paris, France |
Voir plus
| Martinez Nadine. Art contemporain/Art traditionnel : Aller-retour Mali-Mali. Éditions L’Harmattan, Paris, France | |
| 2008 | Spring Chris. Angaza Afrika: African Art Now. Lawrence King |
| 2007 | Documenta XII Kassel, Taschen |
| 2006 | France 2nd International Biennial of Contemporary Art of Seville (BIACS 2): The Unhomely: Phantom Scenes in Global Society, Actar, Sevilla |
| 2005 | Africa Remix, édition du Centre Pompidou, Paris, France |
| 2002 | Fall N'Goné et Pivin Jean Loup. Anthology of African Art, The Twentyth Century. Revue Noire Editions and New York: DAP, Paris, France |
| 2001 | Mali Kow : un monde fait de tous les mondes. Montpellier : éditions Indigènes |
| Konaté, Dolo, Diabaté : peintures – sculptures – installations. Angers : éditions ville d’Angers, France | |
| Fall N'Goné et Pivin Jean Loup. Anthologie de l’art africain du XXe siècle. Paris, Revue Noire Editions, Paris, France | |
| 2000 | Busca Joëlle. Perspectives sur l'art contemporain africain: 15 artistes. Éditions L'Harmattan, Paris, France |
| Abdoulaye Konaté plasticien, (les carnets de la création). Éditions de l’œil, Paris, France | |
| 1999 | Estaçào Oriente, Metropolitano de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugual |
| 1997 | Suites africaines. Couvent des Cordeliers, Paris, France |
| 1996 | Alain David, Abdoulaye Konaté, Jean-Sébastien Leblond-Duniach : Expositions, Amiens: éditions de Comité-relais Fondation France-libertés et Urbis. Paris, France |
| 1995 | African art of our time: An inside story. Tokyo, The Japan Association of Museums |
| 1994 | Rencontres africaines, Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, France |
Press Release
The New York Times - May, 2024
Abdoulaye Konaté
Ruth Maclean
RFI
L'âme des signes, alphabet de songes d'Abdoulaye Konaté
ArtForum - May, 2024
The Soul of Signs
Dyptik - March 21, 2024
Abdoulaye Konaté tisse patiemment sa cote
Céline Moine
Le Point - October 20, 2022
Abdoulaye Konaté, l'esprit des formes et des couleurs
Valérie Marin La Meslée
TLMAG - July 6, 2021
Symphony in Konaté Major
Sibylle Grandchamp
Frieze - November 4, 2020
How Abdoulaye Konaté Knits Together West African Cultural Heritage
Ayodeji Rotinwa
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