Omar Victor Diop Allegoria: A Photographic Love Letter To All Living Things

Omar Victor Diop Allegoria IIHIH hero

Sengalese photographer Omar Victor Diop has simultaneously addressed his love and fear for Africa and its living creatures in Allegoria, a series of 15 digitally embellished photographs.

Omar Victor Diop’s Allegoria Series

In Omar Victor Diop’s photo series titled Allegoria, the Dakar-based photographer has depicted himself as a sort of protector or Diety of his home continent in fifteen digitally embellished self-portraits.

Omar Victor Diop photography
The first in the series, Impression jet d’encre pigmentaire sur papier Canson Infinity Arches 88 – © Omar Victor Diop – Courtesy Galerie MAGNIN-A, Paris. Fashion design by @kokoconcept. Post prod collab: @wearecleverize
sengalese photographer
#2, Impression jet d’encre pigmentaire sur papier Canson Infinity Arches 88 – © Omar Victor Diop – Courtesy Galerie MAGNIN-A, Paris. Post prod collab: @wearecleverize

I was not familiar with Omar’s work but came across a portrait from this series on Instagram and was immediately intrigued, so I wanted to learn and see more. A graduate of the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris, Diop first worked for British American Tobacco in Africa, but it wasn’t long before he realized he wanted to fully devote himself to a career as an artist and left the corporate world. It was his success in 2011 at the Rencontres de Bamako, The African Photography Biennial, which introduced his work to the world.

contemporary black photographer
#3,  Impression jet d’encre pigmentaire sur papier Canson Infinity Arches 88 – © Omar Victor Diop – Courtesy Galerie MAGNIN-A, Paris. Post prod collab: @wearecleverize

Mixing photography with other art forms, including textile design, fashion design and creative writing, Diop brings his inspiration to life. Add a little post production photo retouching and the results are semi-surrealist self-portraits.

photography
#4, Impression jet d’encre pigmentaire sur papier Canson Infinity Arches 88 – © Omar Victor Diop – Courtesy Galerie MAGNIN-A, Paris. Post prod collab: @wearecleverize

In Allegoria, he surrounds himself with the environment’s threatened flora and fauna as a result of climate change. In doing so, he becomes the embodiment of humanity, the protector of life – taking on the challenges facing the African continent.

photo series omar victor diop
#5, Impression jet d’encre pigmentaire sur papier Canson Infinity Arches 88 – © Omar Victor Diop – Courtesy Galerie MAGNIN-A, Paris. Post prod collab: @wearecleverize
omar victor diop allegoria #6 IIHIH
#6, Impression jet d’encre pigmentaire sur papier Canson Infinity Arches 88 – © Omar Victor Diop – Courtesy Galerie MAGNIN-A, Paris. Post prod collab: @wearecleverize

Diop uses the phrase “A love letter to all living things on this precious piece of rock called Mother Earth” to describe each of the images in the series that immortalize the biodiversity upon which climate change is wreaking havoc.

Allegoria 7
#7, Impression jet d’encre pigmentaire sur papier Canson Infinity Arches 88 – © Omar Victor Diop – Courtesy Galerie MAGNIN-A, Paris. Post prod collab: @wearecleverize
mixed media art
#8, Impression jet d’encre pigmentaire sur papier Canson Infinity Arches 88 – © Omar Victor Diop – Courtesy Galerie MAGNIN-A, Paris. Post prod collab: @wearecleverize

Below are numbers 9-15 of the artworks from the Senegalese photographer’s chapter addressing the issue of the environment and the importance of the climate challenges facing the African continent.

Allegoria 9, 2021 – Impression jet d’encre pigmentaire sur papier Canson Infinity Arches 88 – © Omar Victor Diop – Courtesy Galerie MAGNIN-A, Paris. Post prod collab: @wearecleverize

Sengalese photographer Omar Victor Diop

Allegoria 10, 2021 – Impression jet d’encre pigmentaire sur papier Canson Infinity Arches 88 – © Omar Victor Diop – Courtesy Galerie MAGNIN-A, Paris. Post prod collab: @wearecleverize

African climate change

Allegoria 11, 2021 – Impression jet d’encre pigmentaire sur papier Canson Infinity Arches 88 – © Omar Victor Diop – Courtesy Galerie MAGNIN-A, Paris. Post prod collab: @wearecleverize

contemporary photography

Allegoria 12, 2021 – Impression jet d’encre pigmentaire sur papier Canson Infinity Arches 88 – © Omar Victor Diop – Courtesy Galerie MAGNIN-A, Paris. Fashion design by @tidjanekenny. Post prod collab: @wearecleverize

digitally manipulated photos

Allegoria 15, 2021 – Impression jet d’encre pigmentaire sur papier Canson Infinity Arches 88 – © Omar Victor Diop – Courtesy Galerie MAGNIN-A, Paris. Post prod collab: @wearecleverize

allegoria photos series

The works have been printed in editions of 5. To enquire about their availability and pricing, please visit the Magnin A gallery here.

Omar Victor Diop
March 21 photo of Omar Victor Diop, courtesy of Le Monde

Omar Victor Diop
Born in 1980, Dakar, Senegal
Lives and works in Dakar.

Omar Victor Diop is represented exclusively by the MAGNIN-A gallery, Paris.

images courtesy of the artist and MAGNIN-A Gallery