During his visit to Senegal in Winter 2025, DakArtNews met with Modou Dieng Yacine, a Chicago-based artist born in Saint-Louis, Senegal, in 1970. A graduate of Dakar’s École des Beaux-Arts and the San Francisco Art Institute, he blends painting, photography, and collage, using materials like denim and burlap. His art has been exhibited at numerous venues, including the Studio Museum in New York, Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Museum of African Diaspora Arts, New York, and the Dakar Biennale of Contemporary African Art. His works are also held in the collections of the Studio Museum, the Smithsonian, and the Kranzberg Arts Foundation. Dieng’s practice explores, among others, identity, habitat, memory, and migration. A curator for Blackpuffin at the Seattle Museum of Art in 2023, he will exhibit during the Venice Biennale of Architecture from May 8, 2025. In this interview, Modou reflects on his inspirations, Senegal’s art scene, curation, and an African art economy, offering a perspective on art as beauty and connection.
