Sarah Konté: Artistic Expression and Garnering Success

Sarah Konté, a trailblazing artist known for her visionary installations and interdisciplinary approach, has achieved unprecedented success with many groundbreaking projects. Her journey as an artist has been one of continuous innovation and exploration. Drawing inspiration from her diverse heritage and personal experiences, Konté seamlessly blends elements of different cultures, creating artworks that transcend boundaries and challenge traditional norms. With recent successes including being accepted to the prestigious residency of Villa Dufraine at the Académie des Beaux Arts de l’Institut de France, which will lead to an exhibition in November in Paris, Konté has pushed the boundaries of artistic expression to new heights, captivating audiences and leaving a lasting impact.

One of Konté’s latest exhibits, “Adornment | Artifact” was supported by Getty Museum and reflects a technological rework of West African traditional storytelling. Her art experience celebrates ancient Nubia through contemporary art, events, and conversations. Housed at five sites across the city, “Adornment ⏐ Artifact” investigates how contemporary artworks made in Los Angeles by LA-based artists engage and express the traditions, objects and materials that shaped the cultures of the Nile River Valley.

Konté’s piece was an installation made with transparent photographs sewed on black tulle. She also placed her own personal jewels on the fabric to attract the eyes of the audience. This big piece of material (4 meters/ 160 inches) was then put on a black vinyl sarcophagus, all to represent what remains from a human being when they die, with some memories such as images, represented by the photographs and some objects, represented by the jewels.

Konté’s talent has garnered widespread acclaim, which encouraged her to be approached by the founder of the project, Jill Moniz. As Konté explains, “I met Jill at her space Transformative Arts in downtown LA and felt it would be my artistic responsibility to do this project together, as we are aligned on the idea of total art within the different communities of Los Angeles and making these communities visible across time and across social classes.”

The success of Adornment Artefact has been met with numerous accolades and awards, further cementing Konté’s position as a visionary artist. The installation has been receiving critical acclaim for its thought-provoking themes and innovative use of various artistic mediums.

In addition to Adornment Artefact, Konté’s contribution to the collective exhibition Orbital Orchestra has been another major milestone in her career. The exhibition invites artists to collaborate with composers from the prestigious French music institute Ircam to compose sound and visual works that blur the boundaries between music, art, and technology. Konté’s visionary approach to visuals has seamlessly integrated with the mesmerizing compositions, resulting in a truly immersive and transcendent experience for audiences. Her piece was a tunnel in which several videos were showing on large screens. The speakers were outside of the installation, so that when viewers were inside, they were completely connected to the images and poems on the videos. Accompanied with the whimsical and dreamlike sound, this piece was a true immersion in a form of darkness within which light was provided by the videos. Darkness then became a material that could be grasped by being in this tunnel and waiting for the videos or sound to appear.

“I liked the fact that this installation was mentioned in the press and linked to a film installation, because I want to make visible in my work this attraction to cinema that nourishes me every day. This reference to the cinematic experience is an important element for me. Indeed, I cherish those moments of image and sound discovery when we sit in a darkened cinema and agree for a given moment to freely indulge in a fiction played out before our very eyes,” says Konté.

The collaboration with the Orbital Orchestra has allowed Konté to explore new avenues of artistic expression and reach wider audiences. The integration of stunning visuals and experimental soundscapes has captivated audiences. As she enthuses, “Working with the Orbital Orchestra has been a transformative experience. The synergy between visual art and music has enabled us to create multisensory performances that transport audiences to new dimensions.”

Looking to the future, Konté remains committed to pushing the boundaries of artistic expression and exploring new frontiers. As she continues to innovate and collaborate with artists from different disciplines and cultural backgrounds, her visionary approach to art and technology will undoubtedly inspire future generations of artists.