Amadou Sanogo Ségou, Mali in 1977 Malian Artist Le Mali à besoin de moi’ (Mali needs Me)

Amadou Sanogo

Amadou Sanogo, born in Ségou, Mali in 1977, graduated from Bamako’s esteemed Institut National des Arts in 2003. His academic study of fine arts paved the way for future analysis of the ethnic mores of his homeland in an aesthetically abstract and deconstructed manner. Sanogo paints on unstretched, repurposed cloth found at his local market, paying homage to his cultural roots and transposing them into both medium and subject matter. Sanogo is a mainstay at the 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London and Paris’ FIAC Officiel with Galerie Magnin-A, having shown there three consecutive years (2013, 2014 and 2015). Recent exhibitions includes "Le Havre - Dakar, Partager la Memoire", Le Havre Museum, France (2017), Amadou Sanogo à Bamako, Atelier Badialan, Bamako, Mali (2017), Art Brussels, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Brussels (2017), Les Points de l’individu, Voice Gallery Marrakech, Morocco (2017), Fables at Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London (2016), Chapelle des Dames Blanches, La Rochelle, France (2015), L’homme du present at the Institut français de Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (2014) and Le Reflet, at the Institut français de Bamako (2013), while group shows include Bi-Mali: le Mali Contemporain at the Rotonde des arts contemporains, Galeri Nour Al Hayat, Abidjan (2015) and We Face Forward: Art from West Africa Today at the Manchester Art Gallery (2012). Drawing on his Malian upbringing, Sanogo delves into the tender and nuanced matters of global politics, journalism and the justice system. Sanogo currently lives and works in Bamako, Mali.

Le commun, 2013
Acrylic on fabric
56 x 59 in

Qui suis-je?, 2013
Acrylic on fabric
145 x 165 cm
© Amadou Sanogo

Ma Gazelle, 2013
Acrylic on fabric
54.7 x 54.7 in
© Cyrille Martin

La solitude, 2014
Acrylic on canvas
80,3 x 65,3 in
© Antoine Deroux

Les éléments à coordonner, 2014
Acrylic on fabric
59 x 56 in
© Florian Kleinefenn

La peur de ma belle, 2014
Acrylic on fabric
60 x 56 in
© Florian Kleinefenn

La Rage, 2014
Acrylic on fabric
55,9 x 55,1 in
© Florian Kleinefenn

Sans titre, 2014
Acrylic on fabric
43.3 x 53.1 inches
© Florian Kleinefenn

Compagnon Spirituel, 2014
Acrylic on fabric
55.1 x 74 inches (before framing)
© Florian Kleinefenn

Humain et animal, 2014

Acrylic and oil on canvas

130 x 190 cm
51 1/8 x 74 3/4 in

Untitled, 2014

Acrylic on canvas

42 1/10 × 64 1/5 in

107 × 163 cm

Courtesy MAGNIN-A Gallery, Paris

A votre avis, 2014
Acrylic on fabric
78.7 x 77.9 inches (on canvas)
© Florian Kleinefenn

Les cris de joie, 2014
Acrylic and paper on canvas
67 x 60 inches
© Antoine Deroux

Marikana, 2015
Acrylique on canvas
147 x 148 cm.

La natte noire, 2015
Acrylique sur toile
151 x 153 cm.

Le bain, 2015
Acrylic on canvas
64.5 x 52.7 in
© Antoine Deroux

Un jour au Nigéria, 2015
Acrylic on canvas
143 x 149 cm
© Antoine Deroux

Chef d’orchestre, 2015

Acrylic and oil on canvas

130 x 170 cm
51 1/8 x 66 7/8 in

Le Mali à besoin de moi’ (Mali needs Me)

Sanogo makes no bones about the fact that Mali needs him. Why? Sanogo wants to break taboos and arouse people’s curiosity and invite them to question the world around them. He makes big brightly coloured canvases with strongly aligned figures. These highly abstracted figures are often stretched and appear distorted. Heads are not located on the trunk, limbs merge or feet crush a head. The faces raise questions; why do they look tormented, strange and scared? What stories are being told here? Why are there so many dots?
Daily life is Sanogo’s inspiration. He explains: “There are so many things that inspire me in my interactions with people but also in my observations. When I read the newspaper, watch TV or use Facebook I question the world around me. I wonder ‘in what plan?’ or ‘on what basis?’ or ‘compared to what?’ or ‘what is the context?” Curiosity and investigation are what drive Sanogo’s art.

Searching for peace, 2015

59 1/10 × 58 3/10 in

150 × 148 cm

The blue dress, 2015

59 1/10 × 52 2/5 in

150 × 133 cm

Discussion constructive, 2015

Acrylic on canvas

58 3/10 × 59 1/10 in

148 × 150 cm

Traces d'armes, 2015

Acrylic on canvas

58 3/10 × 57 1/10 in

148 × 145 cm

Courtesy MAGNIN-A Gallery, Paris

Les observateurs, 2015

Acrylic on canvas

62 1/5 × 57 1/2 in

158 × 146 cm

Mauvaises paroles d'un abattoir, 2015

Acrylic on canvas

58 3/10 × 61 2/5 in

148 × 156 cm

Marionnettiste, 2015
Acrylic on canvas
150 x 149 cm
© Antoine Deroux

Le chimpanzé, 2015
Acrylic on canvas
62.5 x 58.6 inches
© Antoine Deroux

Supplie, 2016

Acrylic on canvas

63 × 64 1/5 in

160 × 163 cm

Sans Tete, 2016

crylic and oil on canvas

160 x 150 cm
63 x 59 1/8 in

Headless

His latest series ‘Sans Tête’ (headless) refers to the tendency that people forget to use their heads. Four of the five senses are located in the head so according to Sanogo the head acts as the engine of life. “People speak a good deal of rubbish, they tend to generalize and have all sorts of assumptions. It’s clear in both social and political life. People should step out of their little world more often, be curious and share with others. But most of all do research before claiming something. People spread all kinds of ‘truths’ on Facebook without context or research. That’s why in my work I let the body amuse itself without a head!”

Sans Tete, 2016

Acrylic on Fabric

150 x 230 cm
59 1/8 x 90 1/2 in

Young rebel

At the Art Academy in Bamako (Institute National des Arts), Sanogo stood out as a student. For his graduation portfolio he wanted to let go of everything he had learned. So he painted with his fingers and picked proverbs from his birthplace Segou as a theme. With a satisfied smile he proclaims: “My research was very extensive and the teachers had never seen such a comprehensive study by a student. You know, proverbs are universal truths and reflections of wisdom. When a child learns the meaning of proverbs, they benefit from it later in life. It was the beginning of my big questioning. Don’t forget that art does not exist without research and questioning!”

Sans Tete, 2016

Acrylic on Fabric

150 x 230 cm
59 1/8 x 90 1/2 in

Hypocrisy

Sanogo repeatedly emphasizes that he takes pleasure in breaking taboos. It started with the decision to become an artist, which was absolutely not appreciated by his family. Besides that, he is bold in his choice of subjects and does not shy from investigating socio-political themes. In one of his works, for example, a dotted figure is leaning on the knee of a blue figure. Sanogo explains: “The color blue stands for fear and the dots are queries. Dots always represent questioning. The work is about trust, in which we are often disappointed. Many relationships are based on hypocrisy, especially in poor countries. People are sycophants because they want to ingratiate themselves with others, instead of telling the truth. Poverty is the engine of hypocrisy and there is no place for dignity in poverty.”
Another work depicts two figures, one of which bends over the other who showers himself with water which comes out of his own hand. His heart and brains are clearly visible. Sanogo sighs and says: “People just want to water themselves; you find it in all walks of life.”

Sans Tete, 2016

Acrylic on Canvas

180 x 140 cm
70 7/8 x 55 1/8 in

Sans Tete, 2016

160 x 150 cm
63 x 59 1/8 in

Value of art in poverty

What is the value of art in a country where people are looking for food? Sanogo asks himself the question and answers firmly: “Food does not only pass through the mouth, the intellect also needs to be fed. It needs to digest observations. Only when you understand that every reality as shown on TV or in a newspaper is directed, then you are free. I also hope that more people look at themselves instead of blaming others. Criticizing others is easy; think how we criticise a president. But what if you were sitting on the president’s chair? What would you do?” Sanogo has incorporated this theme in a work in which a crowned figure sits on a dotted carpet.

Sans Tete, 2016

Acrylic on Fabric

170 x 150 cm
66 7/8 x 59 1/8 in

Sans Tete, 2016

Acrylic on Fabric

180 x 150 cm
70 7/8 x 59 1/8 in

To the streets!

Sanogo tries to show his work to as many Malians as possible. His exhibition spaces include the city streets themselves. He explains enthusiastically: “People do not come to me, because I come to them. I exhibit in their environment, just on the street. That’s taboo breaking. They often do not understand what art is all about but they are curious and ask questions. When I have not exhibited for four months they ask when the next exhibition will be. Some even send their children to me so they can learn to draw. So there is a radical change going on in terms of the appreciation of contemporary art in Bamako. Fortunately it’s not limited to the international art scene!”
Bamako’s art scene is buzzing as never before. Determined artists are uniting and conquering both the national and international art scene.

Rosalie van Deursen, Art Historian

www.urbanafricans.com & www.rosalievandeursen.nl

Text edited by Philippa Collin