ZALE ARTIST PAINTER

Zale, whose real name is Saliou Thiam, comes from the suburbs of Dakar. As a child, he spent most of his time with his mother, a dyer by trade who made batiks, loincloths and other brightly coloured garments. From the age of 8-10, he devoted himself to preparing fabrics and dyes. School was not his strong point; he was only interested in colour, much to the chagrin of his father, who already imagined him as a driver-mechanic, like himself. Resourceful, he made bags, shirts and other clothes that earned him his first few pounds. A few years later, he met Joe Ouakam, a famous Senegalese painter who advised and encouraged him to persevere. He then discovered painting and its infinite field of exploration. But making a living from painting, in Senegal as elsewhere, is difficult. He became a photographer in Dakar for several years, before his passion for painting took over. He begins his paintings without any specific idea in mind, allowing himself to be guided by his brush and inspired by various objects he finds at random during his walks: pieces of wire or fishing nets, metal capsules... which he sometimes incorporates into his paintings. Iconoclastic and unclassifiable, Zale is just waiting to challenge you!