Brilliant Ideas Episode #31: Abdoulaye Konaté

Master of West Africa contemporary art

Sound of Africa woven by cloth

Works of Abdoulaye Konaté have vivid colors, as if embodying the sunshine of his homeland Africa. Based on Malian traditional textiles woven with stitches, his works excite people’s curiosity with multicolored pieces of cloth; they are actually about dark issues happening in West Africa related to society, environment, and religion.

Konaté states that, though artists are under no obligation to report social issues, they should continue to approach people through their artworks to improve social quality. Brilliant Ideas Episode #31 features Abdoulaye Konaté, who narrates the inside of West Africa as it is, presented by Bloomberg and Hyundai Motor.

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Messenger of tradition and contemporary art

Mali, where Konaté was born and raised, is one of the poorest African countries; however its outstanding artistic tradition is surely approved. Textiles, in particular, are where the Malian tradition is deeply permeated. The artist recreates the traditional textile arts in his own way and embodies countless stories of Africa. Cloth is like paints to him; as some artists fill canvases with paints, Konaté furnishes spaces with pieces of cloth of various colors. From the works that can be easily viewed to monumental pieces that cover a soccer field, his works represent the vital force of abundant and dynamic Malian textile arts.
Aiming to contribute to the social and cultural development of Mali as well as letting the world know about the Malian culture, the artist has also operated an art space since 2004 for local residents at Bamako, the capital of the country, under the motto that art should be naturally included in people’s lives. Performing various creative activities while traveling back and forth between the past and future of West Africa, he has influenced many people as a true Malian artist.

Considering that crafts handed down over a long time are true cultural assets, the artist exactly follows the traditional textile arts method, including weaving on a loom and dyeing. It does not mean, however, that his works are stuck in the past. In the process of producing textiles himself, he newly finds old things that have been forgotten, which he reinterprets according to the contemporary art and turns into a new piece of cloth of a unique color. Completed with such cloth, his artworks range over various visual spectrums, sometimes being abstract, or sometimes playful as an animation scene; all is not as it appears. Konaté’s works include the sweat of the local residents who worked with him for textile processing, along with his will to represent Africa thereby. Not only does he consider the tradition important, but also the artist tries to make his homeland and West Africa widely known in a modern way. <Blue no. 1>, one of his works displayed at ‘Dakar Biennale 2014’, is composed of cloth pieces elaborately cut and stacked in multiple layers. While it is easy to think that the work covered with cloth pieces in various shades of blue is only to show beautiful colors, the artist intended to present the beauty of the region and pride of people living there through indigo, a color that represents West Africa.

Changing Africa’s future with art

Konaté’s works are not merely confined to visual beauty. Whenever he weaves a piece of cloth, he endeavors to represent various social problems in Africa. Focusing on the social and national improvement of Mali as well as its art, the artist is interested in various issues happening throughout Africa and tries to express his interest in his own way. From immigration, oil crises, and social welfare to AIDS, the subject matters he chooses deepens the meaning of his works.
The patchwork he presented at the opening ceremony of the ‘Africa cup of Nations 2002’ shows well his interest in society. The enormous scale of the work that covered an entire soccer field was shocking; it also drew people’s attention that the work was created to promote awareness of AIDS, a disease deeply rooted in Africa, with the performance of people that represent AIDS victims collapsing over 6,000m² of patchwork cloth, which reminded the seriousness of the issue in front of many viewers.

<Biometric Generation No.5>(2008) also vividly reflects him caring about Africa. With cloth pieces of various patterns put over each other in human shapes, the work depicts Africans running away from poverty and diseases to Europe and America. White patches of cloth attached on the background represent a hope that the immigrants would get to live in a better environment, while pointing out the poor conditions of Africa, which push people to go.
A symbolic figure of the African contemporary art, Konaté received attention for his artistic ability and social activities and has already held a number of exhibitions abroad. Through the large-scaled exhibitions held in foreign countries including the U.K., Germany, and Denmark, he raised his voice to invite more people to care about Africa and work together for its development. The artist says, however, that he is far from a social activist; he is just interested in social issues, viewing the world through the eyes of those suffering under the wrong system, and helping people in his own way through art. The passion of Konaté, who loves his homeland Mali and Africa, is getting closer to the world in a form of art pieces woven by cloth. ■ with ARTINPOST

<L'Oiseau> 2015

216×204cm Courtesy the artist and BlainSouthern
<Bleu no. 6(reptiles et religions)> 2014

236×275cm Courtesy the artist and BlainSouthern
<Bosnie Angola Rwanda> 1995

wall: 246×592cm floor: 100×592cm Courtesy the artist and BlainSouthern
<Bresil(Guarani)> 2015

Courtesy the artist and BlainSouthern Photo: Todd White
<Composition vert emeraude> 2015

236×188cm Courtesy the artist and BlainSouthern
<Hommage a Leonard De Vinci> 2014

Courtesy the artist and BlainSouthern
<Le Papillon Bleu> 2016

Courtesy the artist, BlainSouthern and EVA International Photo: Miriam O'Connor
<Le Papillon Jaune> 2016

EVA 2016
<Pouvoir et Religion> 2011

Courtesy the artist and INIVA, London
Installation View Abdoulaye Konate at ARKEN Museum, DK

Courtesy the artist and BlainSouthern Photo: Anders Sune Berg
Installation View Abdoulaye Konate at ARKEN Museum, DK

Courtesy the artist and BlainSouthern Photo: Anders Sune Berg
Installation View Abdoulaye Konate at ARKEN Museum, DK

Courtesy the artist and BlainSouthern Photo: Anders Sune Berg

Profile

Photo: Simon Broughton

Abdoulaye Konaté focuses on the occurrence around Mali, his homeland. He throws some questions on issues that are considered as trouble in Mali; socio-political, environmental issues, war, struggle for power, religion, globalization, ecological shifts and AIDS. The large-scale installation works based on the African traditions never misses the esthetic point and offers the visual pleasure. His works made by woven and dyed cloths which are sewn together are abstract and representational.
Born in 1953, Mali, Konaté still lives and works in Mali. He studied art at Institute National des Arts in Bamak and Instituto Superior des Arte, Havana, Cuba and participated in the ‘Documenta 12, Kassel.’ The artist has presented his works at the Centre Pompidou, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, U.S. and many others.