Abdoulaye Konaté was born in Diré, Mali in 1953. He lives and works in Bamako, Mali and is widely considered to be one of the greatest artists working in Africa today. He studied painting in Bamako and Havana, Cuba for seven years; adding to his experience his appropriation of textiles to mixed media installations.

When paint and canvas were unavailable to him, Abdoulaye Konaté began using materials native to Mali, namely raw or dyed woven cloth. The large scale textiles of sewn and applied fabric which he creates not only support the local economy but also as reference to West African tradition of using textiles to commemorate and communicate. He combines the distinctive aesthetics of the local with global subject matter includi
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