Meet an art and jazz enthusiast!
1- Could you introduce yourself?
My name is Sylvain Domingo Adékoulé. I’m a visual artist and art teacher, and a graduate of the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Dakar. Since 1991, I have been working with the IFAN museum as a graphic illustrator, producing documentation on basketry, textiles and musical instruments from 1993 to 1997. I began teaching visual arts in 1994. This enabled me to share my modest experience in the United States on two occasions as part of cultural exchange programmes.
2 – When and how did you start painting? What was the catalyst?
This artistic streak emerged during my childhood – a deep-seated love for beauty in all its forms! However, my choice was a decisive one, as I have always been drawn to working with materials, as well as to the rigour of geometry in space and to colours. I could just as easily have gone into architecture or communications.
3 – What subjects do you explore in your work?
As I’m very curious and observant of my surroundings, I’m constantly exploring new horizons in my investigative work. The themes that my research focuses on – and which generally form the subject of my creations – are: music, choreography and the environment.
4 – Tell us about your technique.
The foundation of my work is centred on drawing. What follows depends on the direction of my artistic approach. This might involve working with collage, using an oil paint knife, acrylics, ink or even weaving (tapestry).
Furthermore, the format of my works varies. I don’t have any fixed ideas about dimensions; it also depends on how I feel about the theme.
5 – What does the ‘Jazz’ series represent?
Music is a rich form of expression, with its rhythms, the colours it evokes and the cultural diversity that shapes it. Beyond that, for me, jazz is linked to history. To speak of jazz is therefore to explore wind instruments, membranophones and string instruments, which have decades of classical works and harmonious memories behind them. I am particularly fascinated by the kora.
6 – Where can people find your works?
Apart from any exhibitions, my works can currently be found at the Village des Arts in Dakar.