- Abdoulaye Thiossane N’Diaye is a world-renowned
contemporary Senegalese artist. The name ‘Thiossane’ means ancestry
and tradition in Wolof, and appropriately suggests the themes of his
life and work. A multi-talented artist, Mr. N’Diaye has gained
recognition in many areas of the arts.
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- Mr. N’Diaye was born in the village of Saam,
Senegal to a family of traditional ‘griots,’ Senegalese historians,
musicians and storytellers. He studied at the Senegalese National
School of Fine Arts in Dakar, where he first gained recognition as a
sculptor, then later as an actor. He is also a musician and
playwright, and is an important figure in the contemporary arts of
Senegal.
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- As an artist-painter, Mr. N’Diaye works in a number
of different media, including oil, gouache, chalk and pencil, and his
completed works include tapestry designs, paintings, large wall
murals, and illustrations for history texts. His best known
composition is the tapestry that set the theme for the Senegalese
National Contemporary Art Exposition that toured Brazil, Mexico, the
United States, and Canada from 1978 to 1981.
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- A recognized artist, Mr. N’Diaye became an official
designer for the National Tapestry Gallery of Senegal in 1966. While
working there, a number of his original paintings appeared as
tapestries, one became a national postage stamp and several appeared
as illustrations of traditional Wolof folktales.
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- Certain themes appear and reappear in Mr. N’Diaye’s
work, and here can be found both the genesis and the genius of his
art. Born in a family of oral historians and from a very traditional
background, his themes and images spring from the very foundations of
his culture: legendary figures, historical personages, events of
history, traditional spirits, folktale characters, legendary beings
and the stories surrounding them, mystical events and traditional
rituals, religious themes from Christianity, Islam, and indigenous
religions of Senegal.
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- As a man steeped in Senegalese history and
traditions, the variety and scope of his art stand unique among
contemporary Senegalese artists. His paintings and tapestries have
been exhibited in twelve different countries over the past thirty
years.