Seyni Awa Camara
Seyni Camara | |
|---|---|
Camara in 2008, by Sergio Pasini | |
| Born | 1945 Oussouye, Ziguinchor Region, French Senegal, French West Africa |
| Died | (aged 81) |
| Known for | Clay sculptures and statues |
Seyni Awa Camara (1945 – 25 January 2026) was a Senegalese sculptor from the Jola ethnic group.[1] She was born in Oussouye, Senegal, and resided in Bignona,[2][3] where she worked with clay creating statues that range from 30 cm to 2.4 m (12 inches to 8 feet) tall.[4]
Background
Seyni Awa Camara's father, a man named Sousou, was originally from Guinea and moved to Ziguinchor. Her mother, a woman named Sereer, was from Oussouye, Ziguinchor Region, Senegal, where Camara was born c. 1945.[2][3] It is unknown how many siblings she had, although it is known that she was the only daughter of her family.[3][5]
According to Michèle Odeyé-Finzi, a sociologist, at the age of 12 Camara, alongside her brothers, wandered into the woods. After being lost for four months, she and her brothers returned within days of one another, each holding the same sculpture. Both Camara and her brothers claim during their time in the woods, God taught them how to make statues and sculptures such as the ones they brought home with them.[3][5] In contrast, Moustapha Sall, an anthropologist, states that Seyni learned from her mother's practice of pottery as a child.[3] Fatou Kandé Senghor, a Senegalese film director who knew Camara for several years and interviewed her, also agrees with this narrative, stating that the mystical tale of Camara being lost is a made-up narrative to appeal to White people who might buy Camara's work.[5]
She was married to Samba Diallo until his death. Diallo had multiple wives, as his Islamic faith, which Camara shared, permitted. Those wives had children, but Camara struggled with child-bearing and did not produce any biological children.[3][5]
Camara died on 26 January 2026, at the age of 81.[6]
Artwork
Even though she learned how to sculpt and fire from her mother,[7] Camara's art strongly differs from the typically functional pottery of the Senegalese region. She created figure-like sculptures ranging in size from 30 cm to 2.4 m tall, representing personal symbols.[4] Her three sons help her fire them in an open hearth kiln before displaying them in and around her house.[5] She authorized the use of bronze castings of her work since the terracottas are too delicate to travel.[2][1]
Themes
Camara's art touches on many themes, most notably her struggles with childbearing and not having any biological children of her own. Fatou Kandé Senghor made a film on her entitled Giving Birth in 2015, based on her art, processes, and struggles relating to childbearing. According to Senghor, Camara created sculptures that represent her traumatic past, after being married at 15 and attempting to have children, which would later be the cause of her struggles with childbearing.[5] Other themes can be seen throughout her sculptures, such as animals, religion, spiritual beings, marriage, couples, and family.[3][5]
Exhibitions
Camara made her exhibition debut in 1989 in the Magiciens de la Terre, Centre Georges Pompidou show at the La Grande Halle de la Villette in Paris France. Later, she had both solo and group exhibitions in France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Norway, and other European countries. Camara's work has been exhibited in the United States only once, from 2005-2006 in The Contemporary African Art Collection (CAAC) of Jean Pigozzi.[7][8] Most notably, Gallery Baronian in Brussels has organized several exhibitions of Seyni Awa Camara, in 2020, 2021, and April 2024.[9][10][11]
References
- ^ a b "Seni Awa Camara: La Verità Svelata all'Uomo". What's AfricArt (in Italian). 20 May 2017. Archived from the original on 16 January 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ a b c "National Museum of African Art | African Art Now: Masterpieces from the Jean Pigozzi Collection | Seni Awa Camara". africa.si.edu. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g Forni, Silvia (2013). Grabinski and Magee (ed.). African Art, Interviews, Narratives: Bodies of Knowledge at Work. Indiana University Press. pp. 70–85. ISBN 978-0-253-00687-5.
- ^ a b "Seni Awa Camara - Pigozzi Collection 2019". CAACART - The Pigozzi Collection. Archived from the original on 16 January 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g Biamonte, Francesco (1 May 2024). "Art, trauma, animisme et argent: la légende de Seyni Awa Camara" [Art, trauma, animism and money: the legend of Seyni Awa Camara]. rts.ch (in French) (published May 2024). Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ Décès de l’artiste Seyni Awa Camara : le Sénégal perd une figure majeure de l’art contemporain (in French)
- ^ a b "National Museum of African Art | African Art Now: Masterpieces from the Jean Pigozzi Collection | Introduction". africa.si.edu. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ "Past Exhibitions". africa.si.edu. 1 April 2025. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ Baronian. "Baronian | Seyni Awa Camara". Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ ArtFacts (18 February 2025). "Seyni Awa Camara: Shaping Spirits | Exhibition". ArtFacts. ArtFacts. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
- ^ Chen, Junni. ""Art/Afrique, Le nouvel atelier": African art from 1989 onwards at Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris | Art Radar". Archived from the original on 16 January 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019.