Omar Victor Diop
Senegalese photographer Omar Victor Diop (b.1980) now lives and works between Paris and Dakar, where he was born. Taking inspiration from the great masters of African portraiture—Senegalese photographer Mama Casset (1908-1992) and Malians Seydou Keïta (1923-2001) and Malick Sidibé (1936-2016)—Diop developed a unique and distinctive artistic language from an early age. In his compositions, with their enhanced colours and meticulously crafted staging, he chooses to make his own image the essential medium of his work. His is a multifaceted face, through which he embodies, reconfigures, reinvents, and sometimes resurrects all those whose features have been erased, forgotten, or distanced from official narratives. Singular yet multiple, the artist places himself at the service of this Other, of whom he recognizes himself as the historical, cultural, and human heir.
Omar Victor Diop succeeds in moving audiences with his subtle exploration of contemporary issues. In his Diaspora series, he shines a light on figures who have played a major role in African and European relations since the fifteenth century. The use of sports-related objects, particularly football, in this series, encourages viewers to consider contemporary figures in the public eye. In his Liberty series, he evokes significant moments of protest by Black populations, in Africa, Europe, and America, reaffirming the dignity of every human being.