Delphine Diallo: The Mythic Quest

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Delphine Diallo

French-Senegalese artist and photographer Delphine Diallo does not want to take or capture photographs. She wants to give photographs.

In her first solo museum exhibition, the Brooklyn-based Diallo shares how her personal journey to understand her identity has unfolded as she turns the lens on herself and her questions relating to power, autonomy, and connection, particularly as they relate to the representation of Black women’s bodies in photography.

Diallo’s quest to reconnect is traced through six series of work that move from photographing women with whom she forms long-term reciprocal relationships, to self-portraits, to her most recent work creating images with AI.

About the artist:

Delphine Diallo is a Brooklyn-based artist and photographer of French and Senegalese descent, born into a creative family that nurtured her artistic talents across music, graphic design, and artistic direction. Her artistic journey took a pivotal turn when she met renowned North American photographer Peter Beard, who inspired her to delve deeper into photography and embrace her agency.

Critically aware of the traditional representations of women in photography, Diallo has committed herself to deconstruct the biases and injustices embedded in its history. Since 2014, she has crafted a distinctive visual language that empowers herself and the women she portrays, often transforming friends and family into goddesses. This homage to the “divine female body” is expressed through body paint, jewelry, and unique attire, all reflecting her vision for female empowerment.

Diallo cultivates ethical practices in her work by fostering long-term relationships with her subjects, ensuring their representation is grounded in authenticity. Her photography combines spiritual symbolism and mythology, positioning black women within a revered pantheon and challenging conventional portraiture. Informed by her practice of martial arts, non-Western literature, and extensive research into spirituality and science, Diallo’s artistic endeavors are also leading her into the realm of self-portraiture. She transforms mental images or lucid dreams into carefully crafted scenes, exploring the interplay of digital and analog photography alongside new tools like AI, drawings, and found imagery. Recently, she has embraced collages and montages as additional methods of storytelling.

Diallo regards image-making as her sanctuary for acceptance, beauty, strength, and mystery —elements she believes are universal. Through her work, she not only celebrates black women but also envisions an inclusive, transnational future rooted in matriarchy. Her provocative visuals and innovative iconography challenge viewers to engage with their politics and imaginations, inviting them to experience a reimagined narrative.