Eva Diallo: Diallo Diery

Galerie Cécile Fakhoury presents Diallo Diery, the solo exhibition of photographer Eva Diallo in Dakar, Senegal. Eva Diallo’s photographic work is rooted in the history of a territory from which it radiates: northern Senegal and the Fouta region from which the artist’s family originates. The region is crossed by the Senegal River and characterized by semi-desert landscapes.

It is in the Dieri or Diery, an area of dry cultivation farther from the river and a pastoral area for the Peuhl shepherds and their herds that the artist’s family has settled for several generations. The expression Diallo Diery which gives the exhibition its title has become the common name for the Peuhl populations of the region whose existence unfolds at the crossroads of tradition and modernity.

In Eva Diallo’s work, the understanding of things is done smoothly, little by little, like a visual language that is only perfected through practice. From one work to another, a network of meanings is woven in the background of the images. The artist constructs them in such a way that they force one to pause. The abstract compositions (the sunset, the sheep’s skinny back on the sand) are not so easily readable and must be deciphered. The close-ups (the kiwi, the embroidered linen) require a step back that is not only literal: the eye as well as the mind must take a step aside to understand the depth of the image and not be tempted to project their preconceived readings.

cecilefakhoury.com