Abdoulaye Konaté
Encyclopedia
Abdoulaye Konaté is a Mali
an artist. He was born in DIré
and lives and works in Bamako. He is an artist of national fame who is now making a mark on the international scene. Konaté studied painting in Bamako and then Havana, Cuba.
at the Musée National in Bweineramako. He was appointed to be the Director of the Palais de la Culture. Now, he works as the Director of the Conservatoire of Arts & Media in Bamako. He and his work have received several awards, including in 2002 the Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mali and Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres de France.
and the impact of AIDS
on society and on individuals have been two major themes in his work. His questioning of the political, social, and economic scenes in contemporary Mali is evident in how AIDS, wars, ecological issues, human rights, and globalization
affects all aspects of life and individuals within society. Much of his large scale work is textile
-based, a medium that is more readily available than paints.
included pieces such as Les Marcheurs and Tafo ou la force du verbe.
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
an artist. He was born in DIré
Diré, Mali
Diré is a town and commune on the left bank of the Niger River in the Tombouctou Region of Mali. In 2009 the population was 22,365. It is the administrative center of the Diré Cercle. There are several languages spoken in town, but the main language is Songhay. The population is predominantly Muslim...
and lives and works in Bamako. He is an artist of national fame who is now making a mark on the international scene. Konaté studied painting in Bamako and then Havana, Cuba.
Career
Konaté worked as a graphic designerGraphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
at the Musée National in Bweineramako. He was appointed to be the Director of the Palais de la Culture. Now, he works as the Director of the Conservatoire of Arts & Media in Bamako. He and his work have received several awards, including in 2002 the Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mali and Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres de France.
Influences
Combining his painting skills with installation work, he makes powerful commentaries on political and environmental affairs. The encroachment of the SahelSahel
The Sahel is the ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone of transition between the Sahara desert in the North and the Sudanian Savannas in the south.It stretches across the North African continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea....
and the impact of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
on society and on individuals have been two major themes in his work. His questioning of the political, social, and economic scenes in contemporary Mali is evident in how AIDS, wars, ecological issues, human rights, and globalization
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
affects all aspects of life and individuals within society. Much of his large scale work is textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
-based, a medium that is more readily available than paints.
Artes Mundi
In 2008 Konaté was nominated for the Artes Mundi prize. His exhibitionExhibition
An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within museums, galleries and exhibition halls, and World's Fairs...
included pieces such as Les Marcheurs and Tafo ou la force du verbe.