Souleymane Konaté

Souleymane Konaté, known also as Soul, is an award-winning self-taught multidisciplinary artist who was born in Côte d’Ivoire. Today, he lives and works in the country’s capital city of Abidjan. 

Konaté developed a fascination with art as a teenager, visiting exhibitions at galleries and spending time in museums. He initially trained and worked in the field of calligraphy, before moving into painting and sculpture, and immersing himself in the local art scene. 

The Ivorian Crisis (2000 – 2010) proved to be a trigger for Konaté and other visual artists in his cohort to break free from artistic constraints of the past, such as classical figuration and abstraction, and experiment with new forms of expression. Konaté’s visual language is rooted in spontaneity and expressive freedom. Hybrid, mythical characters that are part human, part animal and part vegetal are his subjects, complete with bulging eyes and ‘cut-out’ mouths, brought to life in large-scale works that are vibrant and daring in colour. 

Konaté’s technique involves layering his acrylics through splashing, marbling and collage, among other processes, in paintings that have a distinctively non-western feel to them. His individual style recalls both the expressionist and naïve art movements, while also reminding us of the graffiti found in the urban hubs that inspire him.

Konaté’s work can be found in several prestigious collections, including those of His Majesty Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, Luciano Benetton and African Art Beats in Washington DC.

He has taken part in key residencies, including: 8th edition of the Rencontre Internationale d’Art Contemporain (RIAC), Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo (2019); ‘Musée mobile en route pour Dak’Art’, Lagos to Dakar, organised by the Goethe Institut (2018); Creation Workshop, organized by the National Association of Visual Arts (ANAP) on the esplanade of the Hassan II mosque in Casablanca, to mark the 54th birthday of HM Mohamed V, King of Morocco (2017); and Arkane, Casablanca (2016).

He has held a number of solo exhibitions, including, most recently: ‘Eyes of Africa’, KennaXu Gallery, Shenzhen, China (2024); ‘Le Monde de Soul’, iLAB Design Gallery, Geneva (2023); ‘Aventures Ambiguës’, Fondation Donwahi, Abidjan (2021); ‘Le Monde Merveilleux de Souleymane Konaté’, Walls House of Art, Abidjan (2021); Villa Fruity 2, Riviera, Abidjan (2020); and Galerie Amani, Abidjan (2017).

He has also taken part in several group shows, including, most recently: ‘Intertwined Narratives’, African Art Beats, Washington DC (2024); Shanghai Art Fair (2023); Guangzhou Art Fair (2023); Affordable Art Fair Battersea, London (2023); ‘Anthropomorphus’, Marie Jose Gallery, London (2022); Collective, Walls House of Art, Abidjan (2020); African Art Beats, Washington DC (2019); Dakar Art Biennale (2018); Marrakech ArtCop22 (2018); Dak’Art OFF, Dakar (2016); ArtCop22, Marrakech (2016); Café Hench, Bavaria (2016); International Tourism Fair of Abidjan (2015); Camp Militaire Français, 43ème BIMA, Abidjan (2015); Hotel Palm Rock Beach, San-Pedro (2015); Ki-Yi Pan-african Village, Abidjan (2015); Gallery Houkami Guyzagn, Abidjan (2015);  Peint ‘Art 2015, Abidjan (2015); Imago Mundi Project, Rome (2014); Abidjan Art Festival [first edition] (2014); Abidjan Revel’Art Festival, Bingerville (2014); and ‘Masques et Miroirs’, Arkadi, Abidjan (2014).

In January 2020, Konaté was awarded first prize in the Young Contemporary Art Talents Competition, organized by Société Générale Côte d’Ivoire.