Souleymane Konaté, is a self-taught Ivorian painter and sculptor whose work embodies a vivid exploration of identity, mythology, and freedom. Growing up in Abidjan, he immersed himself in art from an early age, frequenting museums and befriending artists before starting his career as a calligrapher. In the early 2000s, during Côte d’Ivoire’s socio-political crisis, Konaté and his generation sought new artistic languages, breaking away from academic figuration and embracing bold colors, collage, and urban rhythms. 

His signature style features fantastical hybrid figures — part human, animal, and plant — inspired by Bambara cosmogony and enriched by references to Picasso, Dali, and Frédéric Bruly Bouabré. Through vibrant acrylic layers, splashes, and patterns, Konaté creates a mythology of coexistence and reconciliation between man and nature. 

Souleymane Konaté

“Art is a basic human need. It erases all barriers and builds understanding. Art has taught me wisdom, tolerance, sharing, love - the meaning of life.”

Souleymane Konaté, known as Soul, was born in 1983 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Entirely self-taught, he developed a passion for drawing at a young age and spent his teenage years visiting museums, galleries, and exhibitions, forming connections with local artists. Before devoting himself fully to painting, he worked as a calligrapher and even created a clothing brand. In the early 2000s, amidst a decade-long socio-political crisis in Côte d’Ivoire, Konaté began to paint seriously in shared studios, joining a generation of artists who sought to free themselves from academic figuration and abstraction to create a new, liberated visual language.

Konaté is best known for his hybrid characters — simultaneously human, animal, and vegetal — instantly recognizable with their bulging eyes, cut-out mouths, and pliable organic forms. These creatures stem from his vivid imagination, nourished by Bambara cosmogony, in which the first human emerged from an acacia tree, and shaped by influences from Picasso, Dali, and Frédéric Bruly Bouabré. 

Typically portrayed in pairs or groups, his figures evoke cohesion, community, and belonging. Working primarily with acrylic on canvas, Konaté builds his compositions in layers, using techniques such as splashing, marbling, and collage. Stars, flowers, dots, and other symbols accentuate the surfaces of his figures and backgrounds, while his bold use of saturated, contrasting colors generates both energy and harmony. He also sculpts his creatures in wood, extending his pictorial universe into three dimensions.

Konaté has exhibited widely across Africa, Europe, and the United States. His solo shows include Fondation Donwahi (Abidjan), Walls House of Art (Abidjan), Villa Fruity (Abidjan), and Marie Jose Gallery (London). He has participated in international events such as African Art Beats (Washington D.C.), the Biennale Dak’Art OFF (Senegal), and major group exhibitions in Morocco, Congo-Brazzaville, Switzerland, Germany, and France. His work is part of significant collections, including the African Art Beats Collection in Washington D.C. In 2020, Konaté received first prize in the “Young Talents in Contemporary Art” competition organized by Société Générale Côte d’Ivoire, further cementing his place as one of the leading contemporary artists of his generation.

  Souleymane Konaté, Inclusion,  2025, 120 X     120 cm, Acrylic on Canvas