Omar Victor Diop (b. 1980, Dakar, Senegal) developed his interest in photography at an early age and uses the medium to capture the diversity of modern African societies and lifestyles. Finding quick success with early conceptual projects, in 2012, he was encouraged to end a career in corporate communications to further pursue life as an artist.
With a body of work that includes fine art, fashion and portrait photography, including the globally heralded The Studio of Vanities, a series of staged portraits showing the new faces of art and culture scenes in African urban centres, Omar Victor enjoys mixing photography with other art forms, and uses costume design, styling and creative writing to give life to inspiration.
Nurtured in childhood by Afro-Caribbean literature chef-d’oeuvres, such as Maryse Condé and the characters in her novel Ségou, who have transformed from lives of “aliens” to notable figures in society.
Omar Victor sees this as a reflection of his own journey, that has sometimes found him in tiny minorities, seeking examples of adaptation to new contexts and ways of being.
He imagines art as the only conversation that will never end and takes inspiration from people who redefine their preferred futures daily, believing it is the only way to truly be exceptional and leave a footprint of value for humankind.
Omar Victor Diop currently lives in Dakar.
Exhibitions :
Encounters of African Photography (Bamako, 2011)
Biennial of African Contemporary Art (Dakar, 2012 & 2014)
Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie (Arles, 2012)
Biennial del Sur of Panama City (2013)
Paris Photo Los Angeles (2014)
1:54 Art Fair London (2014)
OFFicial (FIAC, Paris, 2014)
Paris Photo Paris (Paris, 2014)
Addis Photo Fest (Addis Ababa, 2014)
Art Geneva Fair (Geneva, 2015)
1:54 African Contemporary Art Fair (New York, 2015)