Using traditional materials and methods to send a modern, urgent message is what artist Abdoulaye Konaté does best.
Konaté was born in the northern Malian town of Diré. He holds many degrees in art, including a graduate from the National Institute of Arts and the Higher Institute of Plastic Arts in Havana. These institutions exposed him to multiple different mediums and types of art.
He addresses issues of politics and the environment through his paintings and installations, but some major themes present in his pieces are the effect of AIDS on individuals and society as a whole. Konaté balances these serious, global issues with a West African tradition of textiles. It allows him to reference and connect back to his home.
Homme Nature II (2015).
https://africanah.org/abdoulaye-konate-2/
However, Konaté is most concerned with how these issues of AIDS, globalization, human rights, etc. affect Mali. Every detail from the subject matter down to the color palette is chosen carefully. For example, in his piece Lutte Contre de HIV, the artist uses dark reds, blues, and blacks to act as a metaphor for power struggles and the AIDS epidemic.
Lutte Contre de HIV (1995).
https://contemporaryand.com/magazines/abdoulaye-konate-social-body-and-textures/
Konaté has numerous awards, such as the Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mali and Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres de France in 2002 for progressing the art scene in France.
Today, though he still works as an artist, he is also the principal of the Art Conservatory in Mali.