Mbaye Diop (born in 1981 in Richard-Toll, Senegal) is a multidisciplinary artist based between Switzerland and Senegal. In 2010, he graduated from the École nationale des arts in Dakar and taught visual arts in the city of Saint-Louis until 2019. He completed a master’s in contemporary art practices at HEAD Geneva (Haute école d'art et de design) in 2022.
Mbaye Diop's work has been featured in numerous solo exhibitions, including: “Balle de Match”, Selebe Yoon, Dakar, Senegal (2022); “De l'arbre à palabre à l'arbre numérique”, La Becque, Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland (2020); “Chaussures Usées”, Blaise Senghor Cultural Center, Dakar (2019); “Autour du poisson”, Galerie Skopia, Geneva (2019); “Introspection”, Institut Français, Saint-Louis (2018); “Wagni Diour”, EEEEH Space, Nyon, Switzerland (2018); “Colobane”, Espace EEEH!, Nyon, Switzerland (2020); “Mame Coumba Bang”, Théâtre de l'Orangerie, Geneva, Switzerland (2018); EEEEH Art Space, Nyon, Switzerland (2018); “Le bon mouton”, Institut Français, Saint-Louis, Senegal (2017); Galerie Ethiopique, Saint-Louis, Senegal (2016).
His work has also been selected for group exhibitions such as: “Color Line”, Printemps Culturels, Quartier Général (QG), Neuchâtel, Switzerland (2023); “Dérive en Péninsule”, L’Atlas, Paris, France (2023); The Norval Sovereign African Art Prize, Norval Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa (2023); “Ĩ Ndaffa#/Forger/Out of fire”, Official Dakar Biennale, curated by El Hadji Malick Ndiaye (2022). He has participated in several artist residencies, including Selebe Yoon, Dakar (2022); EEEEH Art Space, Nyon, Switzerland (2021); La Becque, Tour-de-Peilz in Switzerland (2020); and Trelex Residency, Switzerland (2020).
He received the UEMOA prize at the Dakar Biennale in 2022 and the URTI/UNESCO prize for his radio project “Maam Kumba Bang” in 2023. He was also nominated for the 2023 Norval Sovereign African Art Prize in Cape Town, South Africa.
He offers performances and screenings at various events, conferences, and festivals, including “Neuchâtel empreintes coloniales” organized by the City of Neuchâtel (2024); “Ecrans Urbains”, Lausanne (2023); “Apprendre de Dakar” and “Construire Dakar” organized by the FAR (Forum d’Architectures, Lausanne) (2023 & 2022); the Canadian Centre for Architecture at Musée Théodore Monod, Dakar (2022); “Thiof” at Paris Internationale, Paris (2021).
Mbaye Diop is part of several significant public and private collections in the United States, Europe, and Africa, including the Musée de Nyon (Switzerland), the CAAC - Jean Pigozzi Collection (Switzerland), and the JOM Collection (Senegal), to name a few.
