Delphine Diallo
Delphine Diallo or Delphine Diaw Diallo (born 1977 in Paris) is a French-Senegalese photographer. She was originally based in Saint-Louis, Senegal, but now works in New York City. Biography. Delphine Diallo is a Brooklyn-based French and Senegalese visual artist and photographer. She graduated from the Académie Charpentier School of Visual Art in Paris in 1999, before working in the music industry for seven years as a special-effects motion artist, video editor and graphic designer. In 2008, she moved to New York to explore her own practice after giving up a cooperate Art Director role  in Paris. Diallo was mentored by photographer and artist Peter Beard, who was impressed by her creativity and spontaneity before offering her to collaborate for the Pirelli calendar photo shoot in Botswana. Inspired by new environments on this trip, she decided to return to her father's home city of Saint-Louis in Senegal to start her own vision quest. Seeking to challenge the norms of our society, Diallo immerses herself in the realm of anthropology, mythology, religion, science and martial arts to release her mind. Her work takes her to far remote areas, as she insists on spending intimate  time with her subjects to better able represent their most innate energy "I treat my process as if it were an adventure liberating a new protagonist" — Diallo’s powerful portraitures unmask and stir an uninhibited insight that allows her audience to see beyond the facade. "We are in constant search for wonder and growth. I see art as a vessel to express consciousness and an access to diffuse wisdom, enlightenment, fear, beauty, ugliness, mystery, faith, strength, fearless, universal matter." Wherever she can, Diallo combines artistry with activism, pushing the many possibilities of empowering women, youth, and cultural minorities through visual  provocation. Diallo uses analog, digital photography and collages as she continues to explore new mediums. She is working towards creating new dimensions and a place where consciousness and art are a universal language by connecting artists, sharing ideas and learning.