Dramane Bamana Mali, b. 1996
Rasta, 2020
Bamana builds his works with strips of recycled plastic. Beyond recycling, his works, in the social figuration movement, show ordinary scenes, apparently candid, where the characters, ironically invest a role of messenger…
Born in 1996 in Bougouni (Mali), Dramane Bamana graduated from the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers Multimédia. He lives and works in Bamako (Mali) and is an active member of the Tim’Art collective.
Dramane Bamana represents genre scenes from collected plastic. By recycling it, the artist makes himself the spokesman for the struggle against unhealthy conditions caused by plastic pollution. The paradox is that burning plastic is apparently a way to get rid of pollution, but actually degrades the atmosphere’s quality. In his paintings, Dramane also exposes this material to fire, and thus manifests the pain generated by this vicious cycle which the population cannot escape from.
Coin Vert, 2021
But Dramane Bamana also carries a message of hope, which can be seen in the background, through the thin wire mesh revealed by melted plastic. This flexible grid acts as a strong base for the material and symbolizes the fraternal bond between the community members. Their life is represented through daily scenes that are first photographed and then translated by the artist onto the canvas. Dramane praises the humility and the brotherhood that unite the community against adversity and his faceless characters give these neighborhood scenes a universal scope. The artist thus invites us to explore the peaceful universe of an ordinary daily life that everyone can relate to.
Dramane Bamana participated in cultural events of the Tim’Art collective such as the “Silence Coupable” exhibition in 2019 and exhibited at the Segou’Art Festival (Mali) the same year. In 2020, he exhibited at the Tiama Hotel (Abidjan, Ivory Coast) and also participated in the Ségou’Art 2020 edition in the Centre Soleil d’Afrique pavilioin (Bamako, Mali). In 2021, he exhibited at Chauvy Gallery (Paris, France), at the French Institute in Saint-Louis (Senegal) and at LouiSimone Guirandou Gallery in “Brave New World” exhibition.