Delphine Diallo

About Delphine Diallo

Delphine Diallo (1977, France) is a French-Senegalese photographer and visual artist, living in Brooklyn (USA). She studied at the Académie Charpentier in Paris, where she obtained a diploma in visual arts in 1999. Her artistic journey began at an early age, having been born into a creative family, but it was her encounter with photographer Peter Beard (1938, USA) that prompted her to focus more on the medium of photography.

Her practice combines art and activism, and seeks to push for the emancipation of minorities of gender, ethnicity, sexuality and youth.

Photographic approach of Delphine Diallo

Passionate about anthropology, mythology, science and religion, Delphine Diallo's photographic approach challenges our constructed societal norms. She is committed to deconstructing the racist and sexist prejudices rooted in the traditional representation of women within the history of photography, by inscribing them in mythological and spiritual universes.

Since 2014, she has been developing her own artistic language that glorifies the female body and its power, transforming it into a divine symbol. Delphine Diallo is on a quest for meaning, and the fusion of her interests in the social sciences with her passions for martial arts and non-Western literature are reflected in her projects and self-portraits. In them, she stages lucid dreams using a wide range of techniques. Her aim is to question collective imaginations and the codes of photography, and this variety of mediums and references plays a major part in this. Her work is engaged and may seem provocative, but it invites the viewer to reflect on the place given to black women in our society and on future possibilities for inclusivity, transnationality and matriarchy.

In 2021, interested in the autonomy and security offered by NFTs, Delphine Diallo began publishing and selling some of her work in this format.

Exhibitions

Delphine Diallo’s work has been exhibited at “Rencontres Africaines de la Photographie” (Bamako) in 2005, 2009 and 2011, at Art Basel in 2018 (Miami), at Photo London in 2021, at “Rencontres de la Photographie d'Arles” in 2022, and recently at Picto Gallery (New York).

Art book publications by Delphine Diallo

Delphine Diallo is the author of two art books.

“Divine”, a photography monograph, published in 2022 by Hat & Beard Press, brings together her iconic portraits, reaffirming her favorite subjects such as the body, the feminine, spirituality and her attachment to her roots, and confirming her political commitments. The portraits capture black women with strength and dignity.

“Lived Experiences: Reflections on LGBTQ Life” published in 2020, features a series of portraits and advice from older queer people. Here, Delphine Diallo gathers voices and focuses on an essential generation of the American queer community. 50 years after Stonewall, which led to today's advances in rights and the terrible HIV epidemic, this book gathers essential and inspiring testimonies for younger generations.