Mbaye N’Doye

Mbaye Ndoye was born in 1982 in Dakar, Senegal.  He graduated from the École Nationale des Beaux Art et Arts Plastique in 2005. 

 Mbaye Ndoye touches all topics of daily life. He loves the thread-like characters that he highlights in his work. Love, friendship and clandestine immigration are part of his subject matter. Same for the “duck men”, fantastic creatures with a man’s head and duck bodies.

 The special characteristic of this young artist lies in the fact that he seems to mock his characters.  What do they say, these Cyclops with wide gaping mouths, this crowd of packed and undulating figures?  Fright, voices without voice, fear and necessity of others - these are some of the questions posed by some of the paintings of this young student who won the 1st Prize OFF given by the European Union 2008 at the Dak’Art Biennale.

 Behind a youthful face, Mbaye Ndoye hides an innate talent. Sometimes he dons the role of the traditional photographer, or a portraitist of « souwère » (under glass painting) placing his characters in almost friendly and infantile poses.  A color pallet in the service of a very personal style, between popular imagery and intimate words. Mbaye Ndoye today is the most viewed student of his class.