Born in 1967, lives and works in Mali and Paris.

Aboubakar Fofana is a Malian artist, designer, and master indigo dyer whose practice bridges traditional craft and contemporary conceptual art. Deeply rooted in the spiritual and material heritage of West Africa, Fofana’s work centers on the revival of ancient dyeing techniques, particularly those using fermented natural indigo. His artistic vision is inseparable from his mission: to preserve, honor, and evolve ancestral knowledge systems through a transformative dialogue with the natural world.

Born in Mali and raised in France, Fofana’s dual cultural heritage informs a practice that is both global and profoundly local. After training as a calligrapher and graphic designer in Paris, he began to explore the alchemical processes of indigo dyeing – a journey that led him back to Mali in search of the nearly lost techniques of his ancestors. Through years of study and experimentation, Fofana developed a distinctive approach that merges age-old methods with contemporary aesthetics, resulting in deeply meditative works that resonate across disciplines.

His art takes many forms: textile installations, hand-dyed garments, sculptural objects, and immersive environments, all of which reflect his reverence for natural materials and ecological cycles. The intensity and subtlety of his indigo hues – ranging from deep midnight blues to the softest sky tones – are achieved through a labor-intensive process of fermentation and layering that becomes a metaphor for patience, ritual, and spiritual renewal.

Fofana’s work is as much about process as it is about product. His studio practice is intertwined with sustainable agriculture, regenerative farming, and the ethical sourcing of materials. He works closely with communities in Mali to revive local economies and reestablish connections between art, land, and culture.

Exhibited at institutions such as the British Museum, the Smithsonian, and the Hayward Gallery, Fofana’s installations often function as sanctuaries – quiet, sensorial spaces that invite reflection on impermanence, ancestry, and the sacredness of nature. Through indigo, he weaves stories of resilience and rebirth, carrying forward traditions that speak to both the fragility and strength of cultural memory.

Aboubakar Fofana © The Artist, photo by Robert Wright for New York Times

Instagram

«Les arbres à bleu», 2012
with certificate
Malian stripe woven cotton sheets, metal pedestal, pvc tubes, loofah, sand
dimensions variable
(ABF.00001.0)

«Life Fragment», 2025
with certificate
installation with 90 cotton and hemp cloths, indigo and plant dye
from the 19th Century, 3 rusty metal plates diameter 2 mm
200 x 300 cm
(ABF.00002.O)

«Africa blessing», 2017
signed and dated verso
FineArt GermanEtching Paper 310g, mounted on wooden plate
print: 40 x 53.3 cm
paper: 48 x 61.3 cm
framed 50 x 63.3 cm
edition of 8 + 1 AP, ed. 1/8
(ABF.0002.P)

«Africa blessing», 2017
signed and dated verso
FineArt GermanEtching Paper 310g, mounted on wooden plate
print: 40 x 53.3 cm
paper: 48 x 61.3 cm
framed 50 x 63.3 cm
edition of 8 + 1 AP, ed. 1/8
(ABF.00006.P)

«Africa blessing», 2017
signed and dated verso
FineArt GermanEtching Paper 310g, mounted on wooden plate
print: 40 x 53.3 cm
paper: 48 x 61.3 cm
framed 50 x 63.3 cm
edition of 8 + 1 AP, ed. 1/8
(ABF.00005.P)

«Africa blessing», 2017
signed and dated verso
FineArt GermanEtching Paper 310g, mounted on wooden plate
print: 40 x 53.3 cm
paper: 48 x 61.3 cm
framed 50 x 63.3 cm
edition of 8 + 1 AP, ed. 1/8
(ABF.00008.P)

«Africa blessing», 2017
signed and dated verso
FineArt GermanEtching Paper 310g, mounted on wooden plate
print: 40 x 53.3 cm
paper: 48 x 61.3 cm
framed 50 x 63.3 cm
edition of 8 + 1 AP, ed. 1/8
(ABF.00007.P)

«Africa blessing», 2017
signed and dated verso
FineArt GermanEtching Paper 310g, mounted on wooden plate
print: 40 x 53.3 cm
paper: 48 x 61.3 cm
framed 50 x 63.3 cm
edition of 8 + 1 AP, ed. 1/8
(ABF.00009.P)

«Africa blessing», 2017
signed and dated verso
FineArt GermanEtching Paper 310g, mounted on wooden plate
print: 40 x 53.3 cm
paper: 48 x 61.3 cm
framed 50 x 63.3 cm
edition of 8 + 1 AP, ed. 1/8
(ABF.00010.P)

«Africa blessing», 2017
signed and dated verso
FineArt GermanEtching Paper 310g, mounted on wooden plate
print: 40 x 53.3 cm
paper: 48 x 61.3 cm
framed 50 x 63.3 cm
edition of 8 + 1 AP, ed. 1/8
(ABF.00011.P)

«Africa blessing», 2017
signed and dated verso
FineArt GermanEtching Paper 310g, mounted on wooden plate
print: 40 x 53.3 cm
paper: 48 x 61.3 cm
framed 50 x 63.3 cm
edition of 8 + 1 AP, ed. 1/8
(ABF.00012.P)

«Africa blessing», 2017
signed and dated verso
FineArt GermanEtching Paper 310g, mounted on wooden plate
print: 40 x 53.3 cm
paper: 48 x 61.3 cm
framed 50 x 63.3 cm
edition of 8 + 1 AP, ed. 1/8
(ABF.00004.P)

«Africa blessing», 2017
signed and dated verso
FineArt GermanEtching Paper 310g, mounted on wooden plate
print: 40 x 53.3 cm
paper: 48 x 61.3 cm
framed 50 x 63.3 cm
edition of 8 + 1 AP, ed. 1/8
(ABF.00003.P)

«Africa blessing», 2017
signed and dated verso
FineArt GermanEtching Paper 310g, mounted on wooden plate
print: 40 x 53.3 cm
paper: 48 x 61.3 cm
framed 50 x 63.3 cm
edition of 8 + 1 AP, ed. 1/8
(ABF.00013.P)

«Miiri Ni Taasi (Reflection and Awareness)», 2022
signed and dated verso
plant tannin, iron rich mud on linen canvas
121 x 162 cm
(ABF.00001.M)

«Strange Fruit», 2013
signed and dated verso
vegetable dyes on canvas
total 140 x 140 cm
(ABF.00008.M)

«Sinaya, II (Duality, II)», 2022
signed and dated verso
plant tannin, iron mud on linen canvas
total 173 x 89 cm
(ABF.00007.M)

«Sinaya I (Duality I)», 2022
signed and dated verso
plant tannin, iron mud on linen canvas
total 173 x 89 cm
(ABF.00006.M)

«Dibi Ni Yelen, II (Darkness and Light, II)», 2022
signed and dated verso
plant tannin, iron mud on linen canvas
89 x 128 cm
(ABF.00004.M)

«San Kolo Ni Dugu Kolo (Sky and Earth)», 2022
signed and dated verso
indigo, plant tannin, iron mud on linen canvas
74 x 183 cm
(ABF.00003.M)

«Dibi Ni Yelen, I (Darkness & Light, I)», 2022
signed and dated verso
plant tannin, iron mud on linen canvas
89 x 127 cm
(ABF.00005.M)

2019 Nominated for Hermes Foundation Skills Academy
2004 Winner of Villa Kujoyama Artist Residence Program
2003 Nominated for the French Talents du Luxe prize
2001 Winner of the Villa Medicis Hors les Murs

2025 Clark Art Institute, Massachusetts (USA)
2025 Pascal Robert Gallery, Zürich (CHE)
2025 Hampi Art Labs (IND)
2026 Heidi Museum, Melbourne (AUS)
2020 Yves Saint Laurent Museum, Marrakech (MAR)
2018 Los Amantes distillery, Oaxaca (MEX)
2010 Maison et Objet, Paris (FRA)
2008 Chapelle Saint Maudez-Lesneven (FRA)
2007 Histoires de fils, Ivry (FRA)
2006 Gallery Shin-Bi, Kyoto (JPN)
2004 Ecole Supérieure des Arts de Mulhouse (FRA)
2003 Poltrona Frau Showroom, Paris (FRA)
2001 Miyazaki International Festival, Miyazaki (JPN)
1999 Centre Culturel Français, Bamako (MLI)
1999 to 2003 l’Afrique par Écrits (touring exhibition)

2025 Clark Art Institute, Williamstown (USA)
2024 Gallifet Centre d’Aix, Aix-en-Provence (FRA)
2023 Perdu University, Perdu Galleries, Indiana (USA)
2022 Seattle University, Hedreen Gallery (USA)
2019 Arvind-Indigo Museum, Ahmedabad (IND)
2018 Sean Kelly Gallery, New York (USA)
2017 Documenta14 Athens (GRC) and Kassel (DEU)
2013 Dubai Art repr. by Gallery Carpe Diem (UAE)
2012 Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester (GBR)

2020 to 2021 University of Applied Arts Vienna (AUT)
Since 2013 Indigo, mineral-mud dye and other natural dyes workshops in different countries
2012 Calligraphy Workshop, La Forge, Capetown (ZAF)
2012 Calligraphy and Natural Dye Workshop, Kim Sacks studio and Ronel Jordan Factory, Johannesburg (ZAF)

2012 & 2013 Edun (www.edun.com) indigo capsule collections for New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2012 and Fall 2013
2012 Urban Zen Donna Karan (www.urbanzen.com) mineral mud-dye collection for New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2012

2014 Collaboration with Rose Uniacke (www.roseuniacke.com)
2013 Exhibition in Montpellier in collaboration with Elisabeth Verdier from Mona Market for homewares and textiles
2011 Collaboration with Elisabeth Verdier for Corsican House