His furniture pieces are in the permanent collections of the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum of Arts and Design in Manhattan, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art (as well as France’s Centre Pompidou and Germany’s Vitra Design Museum). Yet Malian architect Cheick Diallo has yet to have a solo gallery exhibition in the U.S. That changes this winter with “Taama” at Southern Guild Los Angeles.* “It refers to my long path of discovery, creation, and experimentation, and that creating itself is a journey, one that takes commitment and courage to continue,” Diallo says of the show’s moniker, which means voyage in Malinké.
That’s what visitors will go on at the gallery, where his 25 works on display, mostly sculptural seating, range from the early 1990’s, after Diallo graduated from the École d’Architecture de Rouen and ENSCI, Paris, to today. All reflect his studio practice, which centers on a revival of West African craft and what he calls “poor” materials—locally sourced detritus such as bottle tops, fishing wire, leather scraps, and old tires. One of Diallo’s most famous designs, the 2002 Ségou rocker, is handwoven of nylon thread; his recent Tête de choux, which resembles a head of cabbage, is made from paper. “Even after all these years,” reflects the 64-year-old, “I’m still learning.”
Cheick Diallo photographed in Mali. Photography by Adriaan Louw/courtesy of Southern Guild.
Tête de choux is a 2024 chair in cement-bound paper and steel by Malian architect Cheick Diallo that’s featured in “Taama,” his solo exhibition at Southern Guild Los Angeles from February 13 to May 3.* Photography courtesy of Southern Guild.
Gatigui, 2018, in leather and steel. Photography by Hayden Phipps/courtesy of Southern Guild.
Fèrè, 2024, in leather and steel. Photography by Adriaan Louw/courtesy of Southern Guild.
* At press time, Southern Guild L.A. was unharmed by the California wildfires and its exhibitions were going ahead as planned.