About Drissa Konaté
Drissa Konaté is an artist from Bamako. He’s been painting for over 20 years, mostly in places where people live, not where people pose. His work shows up in the street, in the village, in the middle of real life. It’s made to speak clearly, especially where written words don’t reach.
My story
My name is Drissa Konaté. I’m a visual artist from Bamako. I didn’t go to art school. I learned by painting walls, listening to people, and finding ways to turn their stories into images.
For more than 20 years I’ve been creating murals, illustrations, and community artworks across Mali and beyond. From neighborhood walls in Bamako to exhibitions in Morocco, Congo, Germany, and France. But no matter where the work goes, it starts the same way: with real people, real conversations, and the need to say something that matters.
Most of my work is made for people who don’t rely on written words. In Mali, a lot of people understand the world through what they see and feel, not what they read. That’s why I make images that speak clearly. About floods. About memory. About joy. About survival. I believe a picture can carry a message just as strongly as any speech or document. Maybe stronger.
I work with paint, pencil, digital tools. Whatever fits the message. I also work with a small team that helps me prepare files and manage technical parts of a project. But the art itself comes from my hands and my experience.
This portfolio is a collection of some of the work I’ve made over the years. Some pieces were done with NGOs and community groups. Others were done just because I had something to say. I hope when you look at them, you see something familiar. Something that speaks without needing to be explained