Samba Fall, born in Senegal in 1977, studied Fine Arts and Animation in Senegal as well as Norway. He now lives and works in Oslo, Norway. The painter and video artist belongs to the generation of African artists who have been exploring the possibilities of digital media from their beginnings. He uses the creative freedom provided by digital animation in order to examine and reflect upon human behavior. His socio-political art not only deals with issues particular to Africa, but also shows interest in questions of global relevance. The animation film "Consomania" examines our consumerist behavior and the entailing consequences for our neighbors and for the planet. In an almost playful way, which evokes the aesthetics of video consoles or computer games, Samba Fall outlines a terrifying world of consumers of all races and societies.
Artist STATEMENT
Since late 90s, my work has involved the creation of items, films and installations of social character. Within my work, ideas and aesthetics constitute two factors playing fundamental and interdependent roles: the delusive dreams of becoming rich, changing identity and gain freedom that are part of our childhood and adult culture. My work also addresses the roles of gender, the fragility of family dynamics and the domestic violence suffered in the African societies and the societies of magrébins. These subjects are often combined with metaphors commonly used by those whom I call by the nick name “The game makers”.
The beauty of household objects – games, suggestively the checkerboard, maps, horse racing programs, slot machines, and so on... greatly contribute to the aesthetic and ideological creation of my work while they bring about a reflection on the idea of “circumstantial” and “unplanned” ...
Two out of the four series on which I have been working since 1996 and before my graduation from the School of Fine Arts in Senegal are:
PMU (Pari Mutuel Urbain)
PMU is a French company set up in many African countries, whose activities are the design, promotion, marketing and processing of horse race bets.
I started the creation of this series in late 1996. It consists of ten large-format paintings, installations mixing animation films with household objects. The responses provided by man on issues of survival and the means he deploys, in order to resolve his everyday problems, are the basis of the idea which inspired me to make this series.
Spam
In 2003, I started collecting e-mails (SPAM) sent to me anonymously in order to sell me products or just deceive me. I have read all the spam I received; I was haunted and at the same time attracted by the persuasion methods used. The next thing I realized, one year later, was that I had already collected 60 A4 pages of text. This is how the idea of turning them into animated films emerged –for example the piece “Woman seeks husband” and the creation of the items of seduction, which is accompanied by a series of paintings and video installations.
Samba Fall, 2011
Comments
Biennale
Saïdou
putter
ARS
Lerato
Nathalie
Christine
Guy
Abdellah
breeze
christian
Vitshois
Samba
PUMAVision
