Diako “Magwélék (The Way)”

Skoto Gallery

poster for Diako “Magwélék (The Way)”
[Image: Diako "Nsina" (2015) mixed media on paper, 14x21.5 in.]

This event has ended.

Skoto Gallery presents Magwélék (The Way), an exhibition of mixed media paintings by the Cameroon-born, Paris-based artist Diako. This will be his second solo at the gallery.

Diako’s mixed media work continues to explore themes of spirituality, cultural syncretism that seek to retrieve both individual and collective memory as well as the human condition.. He draws from both figuration and abstraction combined with a deep understanding of art historical traditions to create works that exude exu berant energy and ethereal quality. The various dynamic lines and groves that animate the work’s surface are typical of the artist’s approach to mark-making, evocative of spontaneous impulses and well thought-out ideas. The colors and forms of his works explore distant places that offer the viewer freedom of imagination, interpretation and emotional responses.

The selections in this exhibition were made by the artist between 1996 and 2017, and include paintings, collages and works on paper. They are richly textured and undeniably full of meaning. The exhibition title “Magwélék” is in Bassa the artist’s maternal language widely spoken in the Centre and Littoral regions of Cameroon, translates as “The Way”, a fit metaphor that embodies the highly recognizable creative distinction and resonant voice of the artist and his work. Also included in the show is a series of vivid collages titled Lignes Mirroir (Mirror Lines), 2006 on pages of the New T estament translated into French and Bassa languages with graphite, ink, gouache, mirror paper etc. The silver paper are cut into strips and used sometimes to highlight parts of the work or expunge sections of the text. There is a feeling of determination and quiet insistence as well as a recurring tension in these fragile and delicate works as aspects of colonial history, religion and texts are conflated into loose, linear structures that serve as portals to other worlds. Despite his use of unconventional materials they still manage to maintain a contemporary relevance in their ability to persevere beyond conventional interpretation of the past.

Diako was born 1951, in Douala, Cameroon and emigrated to Paris with his parents in 1961. He studied Design at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Brussels, Belgium 1976-80. He also studied at the the Mies Van Der Rohe School, Chicago, 1980-81, and worked as a decorator for the Théâtre du Châtelet in the early 1980s.& nbsp; A widely travelled artist, he is well exposed to global discourse on art both by training and contact. He has participated in several exhibitions in Europe, Asia, Africa and the US including the Dakar Biennial in 1996. His work is in numerous private and public collections. He presently spend live and work between Paris and Bordeaux in France.

Media

Schedule

from March 15, 2018 to April 14, 2018

Opening Reception on 2018-03-15 from 18:00 to 20:00

Artist(s)

Diako

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