On the 14th edition of the Biennale of Contemporary African Art helded in Dakar, Senegalese artist Faty Ly looks back on her career and confides her sources of inspiration.
Interview by DBM
Faty, how this passion for ceramics came about?
My work in ceramics began in the late 90’s in Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso) where I was bitten by the bug of ceramics and decided to study the industrial side of ceramics in London. Then I became interested in forms and decorative surfaces.
« I think that my plates hark back to a Senegalese or even African identity and my customers identify themselves with my products »
As a food enthusiast, designing tableware objects was a natural progression. In 2013, I designed the ‘Nguka’ collection which has become iconic in my journey as a ceramic designer. I think that my plates hark back to a Senegalese or even African identity and my customers identify themselves with my products.
What feeds your creativity? Your sources of inspiration seem to be multiple…
My inspiration is basically my family history, passed down by a mother and a grandmother strongly attached to traditional know-how. And then there was the meeting at the International Crafts Fair in Ouagadougou with a potter from Bobo Dioulasso, Diénébou Zon whose original works, terracotta figurines, seduced me.
I was also marked by the sculptures of Awa Séni Camara in my childhood. Furthermore, my time at Central Saint Martins College in London allowed me to discover the world of design. Today, my know-how and experience lead me to explore both material and form.
« For a creative person, it’s harder to start a creative business »
I think passion and resilience are the base of my job; whereas for a creative person, it’s harder to build a creative business. I first started with the sublimation of tableware and now I’m turning a bit to an artistic approach with limited editions.
Art « versus » design has been a topic for a long time, but the boundaries between the two are blurred and constantly evolving. In my work, the two overlap as I use porcelain as a canvas to tell African stories but I also explore both form and material. Graphic design and formal exploration share many visual principles with art, and I want to contribute to reducing the boundary by working more with ceramic form and material.
You co-organize the exhibition Ôde à Ndaté. Tell us more…
« The exhibition is a collaboration entitled « Ode à Ndaté », created around a common passion between Damien Ajavon and myself for the character of Ndaté Yalla, the last sovereign of the Waaloo »
I took the opportunity of this 14th edition of the Biennale of Contemporary African Art of Dakar to present my work which is based on the exploration of ceramic forms and material.
The exhibition is a collaboration entitled « Ode à Ndaté », created around a common passion between Damien Ajavon and myself for the character of Ndaté Yalla, the last sovereign of the Waalo.
We wanted to revisit history through the queen’s clothing to provoke emotion and allow our visitors to contemplate the know-how and offer them a perception of fast-changing crafts in our context.
