MAKHONE

Makhone Issa Diop,  better known as MAKHONE, learned his craft under the watchful eye of his father, Makhone Diop, who was the first to introduce artistic cast iron (lost wax technique) to Senegal. Issa Diop completed his training with an advanced course at the Modern Pattern Foundry in Los Angeles (USA) and study trips about traditional foundry methods in Togo, Ghana and Nigeria.

As an artist and bronze sculptor at the Artists Village in Dakar, Makhone is a perfectionist with an eye for detail. He is undoubtedly a witness of his time, but he is also a narrator from another time. His thirst from the other time led him to take an interest in the Massai of Kenya, the Dogons of Mali, the Lobi of Burkina, the Yoruba of Nigeria and the Ashanti of Ghana. From these journeys beautiful artworks such as “Massaï Dance,” “The Public Musicians,” etc…were born.

His works obey the same impulse of love that is made of experience and sublimation of beauty. His happy years and childlike carelessness gave rise to a healthy nostalgia witnessed in his sublime series of children’s games such as “Wheelbarrow,” and “Leapfrog.”

He is also an ardent defender of African culture. MAKHONE had the honor of making the largest bronze sculptures in Senegal. He has participated in numerous exhibitions, including the CréArts-Africa Contemporary Exhibition in Paris in 2019.