Habibatou Yaye Keita

Born in Bamako, Habibatou Yaye Keita is the daughter of a decorator and calligrapher by trade, with whom she developed a taste for drawing and painting with stencils from an early age. In 2017, she was admitted to the entrance exam for the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers Multimédia in Bamako, graduating in 2020 with a degree in plastic arts. 

A founding member of the Sanou'Arts collective, Habibatou earned her first money by first styling the hair of her sisters, then her friends, then her neighbours. She translates her talent as a hairdresser into painting, creating works that are as appealing for their material as for their aesthetic appeal.

Her work is inspired by the cultural richness not only of her own country, but of the entire African continent, through the traditional hairstyle that forms the basis of its customs and traditions. The idea is based on a desire to preserve and perpetuate, while using a mixed technique of weaving wool on canvas with acrylic paint.