Yelen

Yelen, “light” in Bambara, celebrates an inner light, that discreet strength which only fully reveals itself in darkness. Its interplay of brass and reflected light embodies a glow that guides and gathers, even in the darkest moments. The light source, hidden within the structure, does not impose itself: it emerges.

Conceived and unveiled for the Biennale of Contemporary African Art, Dak'Art 2024, which marked the return of design after a sixteen-year absence, Yelen belongs to a series of pieces conceived as physical metaphors for abstract ideas, an approach that takes design beyond function and into narrative.