Ibou Diagne, Senegalese Painter: His Work at Ge'eza's Gallery

Ibou Diagne is a Senegalese painter shown at Ge'eza's gallery in Point E, Dakar, where 22 of his works are currently online: oils and acrylics on canvas, most of them turning around market scenes. His page is on the artists section, his canvases on the gallery page, and the price of each piece is given on request from its own page.

His 22 works online

Ibou Diagne's work, as it stands at the gallery today, splits between oil on canvas and acrylic on canvas, with neither technique clearly dominating. Formats range from 70 x 90 cm to 180 x 120 cm, with several large canvases such as "La foule," "La famille," "Vendeuses de poissons" and "Marché aux poissons," all oils at 180 x 120 cm. "Seul ensemble," an oil at 150 x 150 cm, dates from 2021, making it one of the earlier pieces shown online; most of the rest date from 2023 and, mostly, 2025, the year that accounts for the bulk of the collection.

This spread between small and large formats, between oil and acrylic, gives a sense of a painter who does not repeat a single gesture or a single period.

Market scenes, a recurring subject

The market comes back again and again in Ibou Diagne's work. "Marché de Louga" (2023), "Marché hebdomadaire" (2023), "Marché hebdomadaire 2" (2025), "Jour de marché" (2025) and "Marché aux poissons" (2025) form a group of canvases built around this subject. Around these general scenes, a series of titles names trades of the market: "Vendeuses de poissons," "Vendeurs de café," "Les vendeuses de légumes," "Vendeurs d'oranges," "La table de Mère Awa" and "Marchand ambulant," all from 2025. His oils and acrylics show market scenes, and Louga keeps coming back as a subject he paints, not a place to read into as his origin or where he lives.

The collective, another thread in his work

Alongside the market, a second thread runs through Ibou Diagne's work: the group, the crowd, working together. "La foule" (2025, oil on canvas, 180 x 120 cm, its French title meaning "the crowd"), "Travail collectif" ("collective work," 2023), "Seul ensemble" ("alone together," 2021) and "La famille" ("the family," 2025) carry titles that point to the group and the collective. Two more canvases, "Lien commun 1" and "Lien commun 2" (2025, oil on canvas, 100 x 120 cm each), carry the name of the group exhibition that brought the artist together with Saadio and Tampidaro at the IFAN Théodore Monod Museum, from 16 to 31 October 2025.

What to look for in a painted market scene

In front of a market canvas, a few habits help you slow down. Composition first: how figures and stalls are arranged across the canvas, in bands, in depth, or in a loose circle. Material next: oil often keeps a thickness and texture that acrylic, flatter and sharper, does not try to copy. Rhythm last, meaning how the eye moves from one figure to the next without a fixed path. These three habits apply to any market canvas, Ibou Diagne's or anyone else's, and usually make a second visit richer than the first.

Oil or acrylic in Ibou Diagne's practice

Both techniques sit side by side in this artist's practice without any clear hierarchy: several large 2025 canvases, such as "La foule" or "Vendeuses de poissons," remain in oil, while other pieces from the same year, such as "Marchand ambulant" or "Rencontre," are in acrylic. The choice seems to follow the canvas itself rather than a fixed rule, which leaves real room for personal taste when comparing several works side by side at the gallery.

Asking for the price of a specific piece

Prices are not posted online: they are given on request, directly from the page of the painting that interests you, or by WhatsApp at +221 78 660 07 07, naming the exact title. The team replies with the price, the technical details and the certificate of authenticity that will travel with the piece if you decide to buy it. The guide buying Senegalese contemporary art then covers the steps of payment and collection.

Seeing his work at the gallery

The best way to get a feel for such varied work is still to walk past the canvases in person. Ge'eza's gallery can be visited without an appointment, Tuesday to Sunday, 8am to 10pm, at 656 avenue Birago Diop, Point E, the same hours as the restaurant. Because the display can change between visits, a short detour through the gallery lounge before or after a meal is often the simplest way to check what is currently on show. For any question about a specific Ibou Diagne piece before you come, write on WhatsApp at +221 78 660 07 07 or to geezacultures@gmail.com.