Toubab Signare/ Alice Bourgeois
My work focuses on prominent women figures who have played a role in the history of the African continent.
It is also a visual approach to exploring themes of sisterhood.
My preferred subjects include the *Signares* of Senegal, the Amazons specifically those of the Kingdom of Dahomey and conjoined twins, referencing Platon's banquet.
My ongoing projects have naturally led me to explore the figure of the mermaid and the myth of Mami Wata.I paint on paper, raw linen canvas, and cardboard.
I make extensive use of acrylics in my work—whether in paint or Posca markers—though I also employ mixed media techniques such as china ink, oil pastels, sanguine, and more.
Alice Bourgeois shapes a new image of Africa, that of a continent full of color, movement and communication, the fantasy of a dream land. With each new line, the Artist gets a little closer to the Senegalese soul.
The work of Alice Bourgeois is very strongly marked by Senegal, the country where she grew up. Her father, a professor at the Beaux-Arts in Dakar, participated in her awareness of the creative world from childhood. Her inspiration is rooted in the work of artists or creators such as Oumou Sy, Ousman Sow, Sembene Ousman or Aissa Dione.
As for the subject, it is feminine. The delicate line of the face is temporarily filed, but never completely covered. The colors with pop accents, hairstyles, postures, ornaments, evolve over the works. However, these feminine figures remain linked by the benevolence and serenity with which they are imbued. Reassuring presence in the places they invest, they protect. By paying attention to the invisible and silent figures hiding there, the spectator detects their evocative force. The holder, sensitive to their magic, will understand their talisman function.
The works of Alice Bourgeois summon. The Artist starts from her maternal link with the land of Africa. She recounts her memories linked to this continent, she tries to find its face. Through her drawings, Alice Bourgeois begins a pilgrimage in search of idols. The images she creates bring back to life what has disappeared, bring to the surface the memories of an innocent and hopeful childhood. Her quest for origins, as well as the constitution of a visual memory through her paintings are for her a plastic way to give meaning to memory.
Alice Bougeois is shaping a new image of Africa. That of a continent full of color, movement and communication, the fantasy of a dreamed and rediscovered land. With each new line, the Artist gets a little closer to the Senegalese soul. By participating in events such as the Dakar Biennale, his link with this country continues.
