Ever since my youth I feel deeply connected with nature.  I used to spend my days between attending school and working on the fields of my father. I was especially fascinated by birds. Their freedom to go in any direction they desire still inspires me in my life and in my work.

In my recent work “Le Voyage” birds play a leading role. Some of them have no heads and no wings. I live in a country where (social) injustice, corruption and misgovernment are daily realities. The city where I live must be one of the filthiest cities in the world. Africa is being scourged by epidemics, poverty, exploitation, natural disasters and suppression. It needs a very courageous bird to stay in the air when you live this reality. Still, it’s very important not to lose your head or stick it in the ground and to keep spreading your wings.

It’s my task as an artist to hold up a mirror for fellow Africans. Can I go through life with my head held high? How do I relate to corruption and protectionism? What do I do to keep my environment clean and healthy? Do I treat my fellow human beings with respect? Do I dare to speak up when the leaders of my country forget the interest of their people? Do I have the courage to keep my hands clean? Of course I don’t just address myself to Africa and Africans. Worldwide, on a higher or sometimes personal level, we tend to let our wings being taken away and rather lose our heads instead of holding it high and to reclaim our freedom.

 The last few years Iron has been the most important material I work with. Almost every day I roam the scrap-heaps of the Suguni Koura(the New Market) in Bamako. Old Iron is sold there. I let myself being inspired by the forms and structures of old iron and discarded iron objects. For me it’s a living material. When I find something that speaks to me in silence, I don’t rest before I’ve given it a new life, a vibration, a soul. I assemble my artworks in a street workshop. When I succeed in giving those objects and parts with their hidden stories a new life and a new meaning, then I feel intensely satisfied.

Sinaly Tangara