ABDOULAYE KONATÉ: L’âme des signes/The Soul of Signs
Malian artist Abdoulaye Konaté is exhibiting his work for the first time at Galerie Templon. The gallery’s Brussels space is hosting the L’âme des signes/The Soul of Signs exhibition, a brand new series of eight textile pieces. Abdoulaye Konaté, known as the Master, was born in 1953 in Diré, Mali. He is a leading figure on the African contemporary art scene. In the 1990s, he swapped canvas and brushes for needle and thread as fabric developed into his favourite medium. His work combines Western modernism with African symbolism, addressing social and political issues such as religious fanaticism and social justice with a complex and shimmering palette that has become his signature over the years.
Image: Abdoulaye Konaté, Losange et triangle (bazin et kente) – ocre, 2024, Textile, 266 × 397 cm — 104 3/4 × 156 1/4 in. Image above: Abdoulaye Konaté, Motif du Mandé et Calao Sénoufo, 2024, Textile, 264,5 × 524 cm — 104 1/4 × 206 1/4 in.
The Soul of Signs exhibition covers the gallery walls in majestic hand-embroidered canvases. The artist creates them using offcuts of African Bazin fabric which he dyes then rearranges in entrancing shaded tones, from fiery red to midnight blue, emerald green to golden yellow. "Nature is an endless source of colour inspiration to me," explains the artist. "A butterfly, a bird, a chameleon or a starry sky inspire me every day to come up with new pigments."
The Soul of Signs exhibition covers the gallery walls in majestic hand-embroidered canvases. The artist creates them using offcuts of African Bazin fabric which he dyes then rearranges in entrancing shaded tones, from fiery red to midnight blue, emerald green to golden yellow. "Nature is an endless source of colour inspiration to me," explains the artist. "A butterfly, a bird, a chameleon or a starry sky inspire me every day to come up with new pigments."
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