Senegalese artist Viyé Diba At Columbia

In a lecture titled Environment and Object: Exploring Urban Topographies, prominent Senegalese artist Viyé Diba discusses his recent work, created using found objects and materials from African cities, including Dakar, where the artist lives. The lecture, which will be followed by a Q&A with the audience, is the first in a new series that explores contemporary African cities as unique built environments, examining their social, physical, and emotional contours.

Titled Sightlines: New Perspectives on African Architecture and Urbanism, the series is co-presented by the Museum for African Art and Columbia University’s Institute of African Studies, Committee on Global Thought, and Center for African Education.

In French, with English translation.

Using a range of local found and appropriated materials, including woven strips of cloth ordinarily used for shrouds, sand, and recycled objects, Viyé Diba creates works that fuse painting with sculpture. The artist has stated that he wishes to stretch and stress his materials to see what they can endure, and what their endurance may convey.

Mr. Diba, who was awarded the Grand Prix at the 1998 Dak’Art biennial, has had solo exhibitions in Germany, France, Belgium, and Spain, and has been shown in national and international group exhibitions, including the Johannesburg Biennale and at Centre d’art contemporain de Bruxelles. From February 5 through July 31, 2011, his work may be seen in the exhibition Environment and Object in Recent African Art, at the Tang Museum, Skidmore College. Viyé Diba is a professor at the National School of Fine Arts in Dakar.

Columbia University, Knox Hall, Room 208
606 West 122 Street, New York City
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
6:30–7:45 pm

Free