About the Artist: Born in Guinea, raised in Senegal West Africa and currently a Leimert Park resident in Los Angeles, Aly Kourouma a.k.a. Aly Timbuctustate a.k.a. DJ Ndebele is an artist and a fashion designer whose work focuses on the dialog between the esthetic of the so-called “primitive world” and its modern urban counterpart, and the possible emergence of a more universal truth. Aly believes that what could be seen as ground for confusion can turn into richness and complexity, and ultimately, into a tool for cultural reconciliation through the lens of art. He seeks to bring awareness to the presence of our biological and cultural diversity to share the richness of the human experience as a tool for empowerment and cultural reconciliation.
Aly was recently commissioned by the city of Westchester, CA, to create the massive "You Are Beautiful" mural. He is also a DJ (Ndebele) and has a clothing brand, Timbuktu State. His multifaceted art reflects the many layers that have made Aly who he is today, from his native Guinean village, to growing up in cosmopolitan 1980s Dakar, to landing in the U.S. in a quest to become a filmmaker
Borders are a powerful illusion. More so in Africa than anywhere else. Dj Ndebele, aka Aly Kourouma is Fulani from his mother and Malinke from his father, Guinean by birth and Senegalese by adoption, raised with 4 different languages and went through the heavy French-catholic brainwashing education system. In that maze of cultural possibilities, the murals of the N’debele women of Southern Africa are a great inspiration to him in the way they merge tribal art with urban iconography. That fuzzy area between indigenous and urban cultures is his favorite playground.
He may not be an actual DJ but his approach is very similar: To sample a piece of pop culture and re-examine it under different angles, find its universal component and bring it to the people in a way that generates a more immediate (sometime new) perception. His artist name also reflects his deep passion for music and its power as a tool for social change.
His idea of Neo Primitivism reflects the deep belief that some of the issues challenging modern society can be solved if we are willing to integrate some of the timeless wisdom of the indigenous world into modern society. . . but more importantly, Neo Primitivism drops barriers between the indigenous world and its modern counterpart by stressing the universality of the human condition through the lens of pop culture.
Whatever name he uses Aly, will continue to stretch the borders and connections of art and awareness.