Abdou Ouologuem
A complete and complex artist, Abdou Ouologuem, of Dogon origin, was born in 1967 in Diré, in the Timbuktu region. A brilliant child, he has been drawing since a very young age. In 1986, following in the footsteps of his older brother, Hamadoun Ouloguem, who left too soon, he joined the visual arts section at the National Institute of Arts in Bamako. Louis Fraisier and Yves Gandal taught him drawing and painting for 4 years.
Biography
When he left the INA, he was hired by several NGOs in the north of the country to develop awareness-raising tools through drawing. He returned to Bamako during the Tuareg rebellion and gained his independence. He revolutionized the bogolan technique, which he used to create costumes but especially murals depicting Manding history.He began selling his creations and also designing costumes and sets for many major Malian films. He set up his workshop in Magnambougou and welcomed young Malians and foreigners, whom he trained. During this period, he organized his first major exhibition at the French Cultural Center of Mali.In the 2000s, he met the famous director Peter Brook, who invited him to work with him. He thus began his career in theater, which no longer holds any secrets for him. He performed in “Tierno Bokar” directed by Peter Brook in 2004, for which he also contributed to the creation of costumes and sets, then in 2009 in “Eleven and Twelve” based on Amadou Hampâté Bâ, and was featured in “A Magic Flute” in 2013.Alongside these tours, Abdou Ouologuem continued to create and exhibited his works in every city where he performed on stage. He exhibited in several major exhibitions, including “Plumes d’Afrique”, “Regards d’Afrique”, and “Les Empreintes” in France, as well as in Martinique and Japan with “Return to the Earth”. He returned to Mali during the crisis and continued to paint emotions, notably in The Ultimate Sacrifice, which testifies to the horrors of the war in Mali, in the duo exhibition Ab imo pectore with Wahib Chatah, and in Vision of Mali.A multifaceted creator, Abdou Ouologuem continues to live art to the fullest, as he always has!
