Mbaye Diop: “Drawing: From the Numerical to the Material, From the Material to the Numerical”

In conversation with artist Mbaye Diop from Senegal about « le dessin, du numérique à la matière; de la matière au numérique » Drawing, from digital to material; From material to digital. At the conference intervening drawing in the spaces of Köln International School of Design
Panel Chair: Jason Men

« Walking through the streets of Dakar (the capital of Senegal), the images on the walls accompany you on your way to your destination. Traces of scenes from everyday life populate our gaze as we observe, admire and question them. These drawings are left by artists or other people who want to express themselves with coal collected on the sidewalks. For some years now, my artistic work has been strongly focused on scenes of life, a retranscription of people strolling through markets, cultural or political events. These scenes are usually drawn or painted in black and white, which purifies them, simplifies them, or makes them more abstract. The result is a universal status that defies ethnic or continental stereotypes. From mural painting and drawing I move to performance art, and through drawing I create an animated movement, a life in which I dictate the rhythm to be followed. This work goes through different stages, starting from real filmed or photographed images, combining digital technology with the manipulation of preformed, painted or drawn matter.»
Words: Mbaye Diop, 2024

Mbaye Diop is a rescidence artist at SELEBE YOON Gallery in Dakar.
His latest work was shown at “Export-Import”, a collective exhibition with the artists Younes Baba-Ali, Mbaye Diop, and Hamedine Kane.