SPOTLIGHT: DJIBRIL N'DOYE

Djibril N'Doye

 I had the honor of interviewing Award Winning Senegal artist Djibril N'Doye about his life, inspiration, and his latest collection. Here's an excerpt from our interview.

FK: Thanks so much for doing this. I'm just going to jump right in.
DND: Of course.
FK: When did you realize you were an artist?
DND:  When I was in school, my teacher would have me go to the board and draw images during lectures. For example, once I had to draw an ear and I noticed that I was pretty good. But it was years later until my passion and appreciation for art developed. 
FK: Do you have any formal training? 
DND: No, I'm what you would call "Je suis autodidacte", which is french for "I am self taught". 

Me, Djibril N'Doye, and DJ

FK: Just to clarify, for your work you do not use stencil but a burning pen? 
DND: I use a burning pen. In Africa, I grew up in a very rural area of farming. One day, when my mother finished cooking, she poured water on a log. The log was burning and an hour later I looked at the anatomy of the log after the flame and noticed the change in colors.
FK: Is there a specific technique in using a boiling pen?
DND: Everything is burned in different degrees, different timing. If I'm working very fast, I don't give the pen time to burn and the image appears dark; but if I'm working lightly or slowly, I allow the pen to burn for a longer period of time and the images don't appear as dark.

THE DANCER
Original ballpoint pen on paper

FK: Would you say your work is inspired by other artists?
DND: If you study the history of cubism, the style of Pablo Picasso, who most believe is the founder of cubism. But, cubism is older than him. He was painting like Matisse, like Van Gogh.
FK: Is it fair to say a lot of your work is inspired by Picasso?
DND: More so  by cubism.
FK: I noticed a few of your pieces are framed by rope. Any reason for that?
DND: My mom, when I was six years old, made a living by making wigs by hand. I would cut the rope for her and she would boil it in a big kettle, dye it, and once it was cool she'd make a very fine braid. She belonged to a group of dancers and they would each wear a braid made by my mom. I use the same fiber my mom used, I do this in honor of her.

One of the pieces inspired by N'Doye's mother

FK: When it's all said and done, how do you want your art to inspire people?
DND: I want my art to inspire people in a way where people can allow themselves to be inspired. Today's society is in too much of a hurry. They can see a sculptor, they can see a book, they can see a painting; but, people are in a hurry, everything is fast. I would like for people to have time to appreciate art, to look at art, to go to museums and galleries, to know artists. Our life is too driven by faster speed; being impatient and when that happens, the younger generation will remit.

For more information on Djibril N'Doye, check out his site here.

- FARIDA