Available works:

Dramane Diarra (1998) paints people like machines on huge canvases. Their heads are made of cog-wheels and radars and their bodies are cut off as if they were dolls. The figures are in indefinable spaces and all wear a helmet and work gloves. They are surrounded by alienating surreal objects. Diarra: “I depict humans as machines. Most migrants leave with the idea that they will become managers, but most end up in jobs that rely on their physical abilities, such as in construction or cleaning. Migrants become numbers and lose their human characteristics when they are talked about in the media. ”

Diarra’s figures are flanked by sometimes a wise owl, sometimes a dead bird attached to a clock, or a white dove or a plate with brains with keys in it. Symbols referring to wisdom and reflection. He hopes people will reflect before embarking on a journey in which the time and lives of a person are on hold. Diarra: “Now I want to reach as many young people as possible and make them think about the consequences of such a daring venture. Our culture is so beautiful and so rich. And what do you find when you leave? If you survive at all? ”

Diarra graduated from the Art Academy in Bamako Mali ‘Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers Multimédia Balla Fasseké Kouyaté’. He exhibited in numerous group shows and solo shows in Mali where he also attended various workshops. 

Would you like to know more about one of these works or buy a work of art? Please send me an email: rosalie@urbanafricans.com