This work has been kindly donated by the artist

Mbaye Diop works across media, usually presenting his work in black and white. Often, the artist uses serigraphy and draws on various supports such as wood, cardboard or wall. While Diop’s work draws from the sociological and environmental phenomena occurring in his home country – including immigration, environmental changes, urban cluttering and the neglect of architectural heritage – he also reflects on his own experience of displacement in Switzerland. His work witnes💃ses changing paradigms in African societies, namely the dichotomies between social media and ancient practices, virtual realities and African traditional customs.

Xaar (the wait) #2 (2022) is a drawing made with graphite that evokes scenes of an extremely popular and dynamic market in Dakar. Markets in Senegal are points of convergence in which people gather to buy, sell and negotiate. The streets become a sort of waiting room whꦆere sellers hope and animals await their final exec🍃ution. This moment of waiting recalls the weeks prior to the Muslim celebration of Tabaski (Eid al-Adha). Owing to shifts in urban legislation, the city’s curbs become host for all sorts of urban phenomena at a time when Dakar’s informal markets are threatened by real estate and developmental pressure.

Credit: Selebe Yoon Gallery