Diako Magwélék (The Way)

Press Release

March 15 – April 14, 2018

Skoto Gallery is pleasednto present Magw?l?k (The Way), an exhibition of mixed media paintings by the Cameroon-born, Paris-based artist  Diako. This will be his second solo at the gallery. The reception is on Thursday,nMarch 15, 6-8pm.                                     

Diako?s mixed media workncontinues to explore themes of spirituality and cultural syncretism that seeknto retrieve both individual and collective memory as well as the humanncondition.. He draws from both figuration and abstraction combined with a deepnunderstanding of art historical traditions to create works that exude exuberantnenergy and ethereal quality. The various dynamic lines and groves that animatenthe work?s surface are typical of the artist?s approach to mark-making,nevocative of spontaneous impulses and well thought-out ideas. The colors andnforms of his works explore distant places that offer the viewer freedom ofnimagination, interpretation and emotional responses.

The selections in thisnexhibition were made by the artist between 1996 and 2017, and includenpaintings, collages and works on paper. They are richly textured and undeniablynfull of meaning. The exhibition title ?Magw?l?k? is in Bassa, the artist?snmaternal language widely spoken in the Centre and Littoral regions of Cameroon,ntranslates as ?The Way?, a fit metaphor that embodies the highly recognizablencreative distinction and resonant voice of the artist and his work. Included innthe show is a series of vivid collages titled Lignes Mirroir (Mirror Lines),n2006 on pages of the New Testament in French and Bassa languages with graphite,nink, gouache, mirror paper etc. The silver paper are cut into strips and usednsometimes to highlight parts of the work or expunge sections of the text. Despitenhis use of unconventional materials they still manage to maintain ancontemporary relevance in their ability to persevere beyond conventional interpretation of the past. There is a feeling of determination and quiet  insistence in these fragile and delicate works, as well as a recurring tensionnas history, liturgical texts and emotional responses are conflated into loose,nlinear structures that serve as portals to other worlds.

Diako was born 1951, innDouala, Cameroon and emigrated to Paris with his parents in 1961. He studiednDesign at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Brussels, Belgium 1976-80. He alsonstudied at the the Mies Van Der Rohe School, Chicago, 1980-81, and worked as andecorator for the Th??tre du Ch?telet in the early 1980s.  A widely travellednartist, he is well exposed to global discourse on art both by training andncontact. He has participated in several exhibitions in Europe, Asia, Africa andnthe US including the Dakar Biennial in 1996. His work is in numerous privatenand public collections. He presently spend live and work between Paris andnBordeaux in France.