Alioune Diouf (b. 1964, Dakar) is a Senegalese artist, of Serer origins. He pursued a koranic education while his artistic education happened outdoor in direct observations of the world and in contact with a large community of artists. In 1989, he met the emblematic figure of Senegal in the arts, Issa Samb who invited him to join the famous courtyard at 17 Jules Ferry and became a member of the Laboratoire Agit’ Art – one of the first and most important artist collective founded in 1974 that organized artistic experimentations and performances. Alioune Diouf lived there for 28 years, participating in the improvisational happenings and workshops of the collective, constantly transforming the courtyard while developing his personal practice. In the effervescence of this community, he developed his artistic practice restlessly. As a painter and a sculptor, Alioune Diouf uses a diversity of materials: he produces his own pigments from clay, kola and coffee nuts and plants, and uses in his works textile scraps and sewing. His sculptures – from monumental sand pieces to carved wooden ones, are made of readily natural materials. His pictorial realm is characterized by intertwined figures, animals and cosmic and floral motifs as well as a spiritual and sacred symbolism. In 2020, Alioune Diouf received a solo exhibition, "Ubeku" at the Selebe Yoon gallery, following a two-month residency. His work was included in several group exhibitions, such as: "Sur le Fil", at Théodore Monod Museum, Dakar, Senegal and Le 19M, Paris, France (2023); "Quand les Arbres s'enracineront dans la Terre" at the Residence of the French Ambassador (Dak'Art Biennale, 2022), Dakar, Senegal; "Teg Bët Gëstu Gi" at Théodore Monod Museum (IFAN), co-organized by art historian Emmanuelle Chérel, Dakar, Senegal among others. With Le Laboratoire Agit'Art, he has participated in exhibitions such as Le Congrès de Minuit (Biennale de Dakar, OFF, 2016) and La Cloche des Fourmis (Biennale de Dakar, OFF, 2018), Senegal. His personal work and collaborations with Issa Samb were exhibited at the Hamburger Bahnof in Berlin, Germany in 2019 in the exhibition "How to talk with birds, trees, fish, shells, snakes, bulls and lions". Diouf did a residency at Meet Factory, a contemporary art center in Prague (2015). His work is in important public and private collections, including the Beaux-Arts de Nantes, France and the Maison des Esclaves, Gorée, Senegal, as well as in numerous private collections in the USA, Europe and Africa, such as the Jom Collection and the CBH Bank Collection.
Alioune Diouf lives and works in Dakar.
