Senegalese artist Alioune Diagne’s vibrant paintings at Templon celebrate modern African art, blending heritage and hope in striking pointillist scenes that blur borders between countries and cultures.
The Senegalese artist Alioune Diagne‘s U.S. debut ‘Jokkoo’ is a window into his unique vision of shared futures, blending heritage and hope in striking pointillist scenes that blur borders—both literal and symbolic.
Alioune Diagne’s paintings are composed of minuscule pointillistic lines that spread across large canvases, creating imagery that is simultaneously blurry and distinct. For his debut show in New York and his third with Templon, the Senegal-based artist has delved more deeply into his exploration of cultural heritage, drawing from the parallels between his native country and New York.
This interweaving of countries also echoes the sentiment that the “younger generation of Senegalese, who, when asked about their future, gaze across the Atlantic.” His unique approach to painting creates a world that transcends history and geography, allowing both places to exist in one room. Diagne genuinely believes in the ‘African Dream’—that it’s entirely possible to succeed, to accomplish ambitious projects and to create real international synergies from Africa, particularly from countries like Senegal.
Titled “Jokkoo” after the Wolof word for connection, the New York show is a window into the artist’s life and his country, filled with hopes and dreams. In Senegal, fishing is a significant aspect of the culture and day-to-day life. The beaches are crowded with colorful pirogue boats, each hand-painted and decorated with unique symbols and iconography.
Diagne was the first artist to represent Senegal at the Venice Biennale last year, exhibiting a pirogue boat split in two in a nod to those who also use the fishing boats to migrate to Europe at their peril. His paintings at Templon offer a degree of hope, through imagery of sports and cityscapes, of crowds gathering and communities forming.
By merging Senegal and New York, he articulates that neither is inherently better than the other. In fact, Diagne’s translator pointed out that his drawings of American basketball players are much more angular, while the scenes from Senegal are softer.
Alioune Diagne aims to challenge African youth to reimagine success, proposing an ‘African Dream’ that mirrors the American Dream. He also wants to raise awareness about critical issues, such as the exploitation of our fishing resources, the tragedies linked to clandestine migration and the heartbreaking shipwrecks involving Senegalese migrants and the alarming pollution affecting our coastline.
Alioune Diagne’s paintings speak for themselves, evoking a duality—a balance of here and there, Senegal and New York in one shared space. Looking closer, the calligraphy takes shape, blurring the image. Yet in these puzzling scenes that fuse geographies, Diagne’s singular voice resounds.
Growing up, Alioune Diagne was never exposed to contemporary art. “For a long time, I had no knowledge of art history or the contemporary art world, mainly because in the village where I grew up, we simply didn’t have access to that kind of artistic culture,” he said.
It was only later, at the École des Beaux-Arts in Dakar and during his time living in France, that he really began to discover art history. “Today, I’m particularly drawn to Cubism and especially moved by the work of Pablo Picasso. Seeing Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon in person at MoMA was an incredible visual shock for me.”
At Templon, Diagne reimagines the African Dream through layered calligraphic forms. Working on a collaborative project in 2023 with the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Rouen, France, gave him access to new forms of artistic language.
In New York, Alioune Diagne’s “Jokkoo” links continents and traditions, a window into embracing multiple worlds. His paintings evoke this kind of duality—a balance of here and there, Senegal and New York in one shared space. Looking closer, the calligraphy takes shape, blurring the image.
“Above all, I want to share with the wider public the beauty and richness of Senegal, its values and traditions: the bustling energy of its markets, the resilience and strength of its women, and the hopes and ambitions of its youth, far beyond the stereotypes that are so often portrayed,” he concluded.
