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Mamadou Cisse, geboren in 1960
Mamadou Cissã© (Senegalese, Born 1960)
'Victoria Falls City (Africans United)', 2013
Signed And Dated 'Cisse M.F. 17.09.13' (Lower Left), Titled 'Victoria Falls City/ (Africans United)' (Lower Centre)
Watercolour And Pen On Paper
40 X 50Cm (15 3/4 X 19 11/16In).
Footnotes
Provenance
Private Collection, Paris.
Born In The Small Senegalese Village Of Baghagha In 1960, Mamadou Cissã© Moved To Paris At The Age Of 18. He Began To Draw Whilst Working As A Security Guard. Sketching Was A Way Of Occupying Himself During The Long Night Shifts.
The Artist'S Work Engages With The Theme Of Urban Development And The Rapid Expansion Of Cities Across The World. Cissã© Claims That His Diverse Career History, As A Tailor, Construction Worker And Wallpaper Manufacturer, Has Has Been Instrumental In Forging His Aesthetic. These Jobs Took Him To A Number Of City Centres, Encouraging Him To Consider The Nature Of Urban Development And Its Rapid Expansion In Recent Years.
Inspired By The Creativity Of Urban Architecture, Cissã© Began To Create His Own Cityscapes. Part Real And Part Imagined, Cissã©'S Urban Grids Are Depicted From Above, As If From A Satellite. They Draw On A Variety Of Sources Including Photographs And Travel Books.
Cissã© Is Not Merely Artistically Motivated. He Believes That With Population Expansion There Will Soon Be A Shortage Of Residential Dwellings. Cities, In His View, Have A Responsibility To Accommodate The Growing Population: To Host, To Feed And Bring Together Its Community.
Despite His Environmental Concerns, Cissã© Views Urban Expansion As Primarily Positive And Exciting, Offering Inhabitants The Possibility Of A Higher Quality Of Life:
I Dream Ideal Cities, With Houses For All, And Colors To Spread Joy. I Am Futuristic. Forward Ho, Africa ! With Victoria Falls City, I Wanted To Create A New City Between Zambia And Zimbabwe, As A Symbol Of A Unified Africa, Celebrating Free Movement Of Goods And People...My Work Glorifies Human Endeavour And The Cities That I Reinvent Are Places Of Joy.
These Cityscapes Were Exhibited For The First Time In 2007 At The Maison Chailloux In Fresnes.
Please Note: This Work Will Be Sold With A Certificate Of Authenticity Signed By The Artist.
Bibliography
The Artist In Conversation With Joyce Bidouzo-Coudray, Another Africa, November 2012.
