Alioune Diouf
“Ak Jàmm”
Alioune Diouf
“Ak Jàmm”
April 30th 2026 - July 25th 2026
Opening on April 30th - 6-9pm
Presenting the work of Alioune Diouf, six years after the inauguration of our space, is to reveal the relentless quest of an artist searching for possible forms of humanity through artistic creation; it is to reaffirm the importance of a timeless message that nevertheless remains barely audible. The repetition of these figures, these human communities that gaze back at us, speaks to the possibility for humankind to approach the sacred beyond religion. “Ak Jaam”, which means “with peace” in Wolof, is offered here as a form of prayer.
Of Serer origin and as a former farmer, Alioune Diouf lived for many years at 17 rue Jules Ferry in the city center of Dakar, within the the Laboratoire Agit’Art—known as the courtyard of Issa Samb, his companion since 1989. As a “child of the courtyard,” he absorbed both the artistic legacy of the post-independence 1990s and the subversive vitality that defined that era. This vitality permeates his work, imbued with poetry and compassion, calling for life, vital breath, and reconciliation. While some compositions evoke haloed figures reminiscent of religious iconography, others—populated by hybrid silhouettes—recall echoes of West African statuary. Beyond any specific reference, these assemblies of figures seek to bring together the world’s spiritualities through an interweaving of symbols and floral and geometric compositions.
Two series stand out within the exhibition. The series set against black backgrounds combines painting and stitching, incorporating the recurring motif of the bird. “The bird is spirit,” the artist asserts, presenting it in his works as an existential possibility for humankind, in a form of fundamental ecology. Alioune Diouf also pays particular attention to ornamentation, notably through the garments of his figures, whose geometric patterns unify the assembly and structure the canvas. Other works depict figures surrounded by floral compositions reminiscent of illuminated manuscripts, as though elegance itself could alleviate the world’s afflictions.
His other series, produced near Lac Rose in Senegal, reveals a palette made from natural pigments. The same figures seem to emerge from the earth, shaped with diluted clay, extracts of hibiscus leaves, or even pools of coffee grounds applied to the canvas. A cultivator of both land and existence, Alioune Diouf anchors his figures within floral fields that recall their fundamental belonging to the living world.
Silent and deeply attentive to otherness, his work engages a way of being in the world—a practice of a humanity in the making. Repetitive and timeless, his work is today more necessary than ever, in the vital impulse it calls us to protect and sustain.
© Text copyright: Selebe Yoon
Images: Claudia Maurino
30.04.2026-25.07.2026
Artist’s biography
Alioune Diouf
© Mamadou Ly
Alioune Diouf (b. 1964, Dakar) is a Senegalese artist, of Serer origins. As a painter and sculptor, he uses a wide variety of materials. He creates his own pigments, sews his canvases and creates sculptures from natural environmental elements. His pictorial universe is characterized by the interweaving of figures, animals, cosmic and floral motifs, as well as by spiritual and sacred symbolism.
He pursued a koranic education while his artistic education happened outdoor in direct observations of the world and in contact with a large community of artists. In 1989, he met the emblematic figure of Senegal in the arts, Issa Samb who invited him to join the famous courtyard at 17 Jules Ferry and became a member of the Laboratoire Agit’ Art, one of the first and most important artist collective founded in 1974 that organized artistic experimentations and performances. Alioune Diouf lived there for 28 years, participating in the improvisational happenings and workshops of the collective, constantly transforming the courtyard while developing his personal practice. In the efervescence of this community, he developed his artistic practice restlessly.
As a painter and a sculptor, Alioune Diouf uses a diversity of materials: he produces his own pigments from clay, kola and cofee nuts and plants, and uses in his works textile scraps and sewing. His sculptures from monumental sand pieces to carved wooden ones, are made of readily natural materials. His pictorial realm is characterized by intertwined figures, animals and cosmic and floral motifs as well as a spiritual and sacred symbolism. In 2020,
Alioune Diouf received a solo exhibition, “Ubeku“ at the Selebe Yoon gallery,Dakar, Senegal following a two-month residency, in 2019 “Pavillon of the Institut Français“, Dakar, Senegal. His work was included in several group exhibitions, such as: “More than meets the eye”, Musée Rath, Geneva, Switazerland (2025) “Un voyage à Nantes”, Nantes, France; “Nous les vagues“ - MAT, Contemporary art Centre, Montrelais, at Board of the Loire, France (2024); “Entre Parenthèses“, Selebe Yoon, Dakar, Senegal (2024); “Sur le Fil“, at Théodore Monod Museum, Dakar, Senegal and the 19M Gallery, Paris, France (2023); “Quand les Arbres s'enracineront dans la Terre“ at the Residence of the French Ambassador Dak'Art Biennale, Dakar, Senegal, (2022); "Teg Bët Gëstu Gi" at Théodore Monod Museum (IFAN),co-organized by art historian Emmanuelle Chérel, Dakar, Senegal, (2022); “How to talk with birds, trees, fish, shells, snakes, bulls and lions“ at the Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, Germany in 2019, his personal work and collaborations with Issa Samb were exhibited . With Le Laboratoire Agit'Art, he has participated in exhibitions such as “Le Congrès de Minuit“, Biennale de Dakar, OFF, Dakar, Senegal (2016) and “La Cloche des Fourmis“, Biennale de Dakar, OFF, Dakar, Senegal (2018). His in the exhibition . Diouf will be in residence at La Maison Julien Gracq, collaboration with Le MAT, Contemporary art Centre, Montrelais, France, (2024); he has done residencies at Selebe Yoon, Dakar, Senegal (2020) and at the Meet Factory, a contemporary art centre in Prague, République Tchèque, (2015).
His work is in important public and private collections, including the Beaux-Arts of Nantes, France and the Maison des Esclaves, Gorée island, Senegal, as well as in numerous private collections in the United States, Europe and Africa such as the Jom Collection, Dakar, Senegal and the CBH Bank Collection, Zurich, Switzerland.
Alioune Diouf lives and works in Dakar.