Born in Saint-Louis in Senegal, Serigne Mbaye Camara studied at the l’école des Beaux-Arts in Dakar, where he lives and works. He is a live-in member of the art village and teaches in the school where he trained. His work seeks to express ideas, feelings and beliefs, and does not focus on a single artistic aim. It is characterised by simplified shapes and stylised characters that he creates by recycling rubbish from the town to evoke excess and abuse in a range of ways.
His pieces draw on the deep roots of a complicated, colourful and multi-faceted Africa, while also moving beyond this culture. Serigne Mbaye Camara does not follow in the footsteps of traditional African art that often inspired major artistic movements in the 20th century, such as cubism or surrealism. In fact, his references are very different and are taken from the history of abstract contemporary painting, which has its origins in America or Europe. He wishes to be perceived primarily as an artist and not as African or Senegalese, even if his works reflect the reality of life in Africa.
Photo by Swiffer
