Hors du Temps: Alhassan Koné’s Meditative Ode to Nature and Childhood

At Paris’s HOOP Galerie, Hors du Temps (Out of Time) by Malian artist Alhassan Koné (Lass) offers a sanctuary from modern chaos. This evocative exhibition invites viewers to slow down, dissolve temporal boundaries, and reconnect with nature’s quiet power and childhood’s unguarded wonder. For advocates of African art’s transformative potential, Koné’s work feels like a homecoming to humanity’s essential truths.

A Sanctuary of Memory and Renewal

In Hors du Temps, Koné’s canvases pulse with Mali’s sunlit savannas and mossy greens, rendered in golden yellows that evoke ancestral memory. His paintings depict children, animals, and flora coexisting in tender harmony—visions of a world where humanity and nature thrive in balance. “All change begins with children,” Koné asserts, framing youth as both metaphor and manifesto. Small, solitary figures wander vast terrains, their presence a quiet rebellion against the fractures of adulthood.

Earthly Textures, Timeless Stories

Alhassan Koné’s artistry shines in his alchemical use of materials. By embedding reclaimed wood shavings and sawdust into his works, Hors du Temps transforms industrial waste into tactile symbols of resilience. The exhibition dances between ethereal washes of color and gritty organic textures, blending abstraction and figuration. Each brushstroke feels instinctive, channeling ancestral wisdom and a collective longing for renewal.

Roots in Mali’s Heart

Born in Kodié, Mali, in 1993, Koné’s connection to nature was shaped by pastoral rhythms and childhood loss. This duality—fragility and fortitude—permeates Hors du Temps. Trained in Bamako’s art institutions, Koné merges painting, sculpture, and digital media to craft a language that bridges personal history and universal themes. Since winning the Mali/EU Cooperation prize in 2018, his work has resonated globally, cementing his status among Africa’s most compelling contemporary voices.

A Whispered Revolution

In an era of climate crisis, Hors du Temps feels revolutionary in its gentleness. Koné’s art rejects despair, offering instead a luminous alternative: ecological consciousness fused with childlike curiosity. The exhibition hums rather than shouts, its power lying in restraint. It lingers like a half-remembered lullaby, challenging viewers to find beauty in fragility and hope in simplicity.

Why Hors du Temps Matters?

Alhassan Koné’s work bridges Mali’s pastoral heritage and global narratives of sustainability. By grounding universal themes in African experiences, Hors du Temps redefines art as a compass—guiding us toward empathy, renewal, and shared futures. For Koné, sawdust becomes stardust, and memory transforms into a map for collective healing.

Visit Hors du Temps

Running from March 23 to May 4, 2025, at HOOP Galerie (Paris), Hors du Temps is essential for those seeking contemporary African art’s visionary potential. Follow [@artfrofest] for updates on exhibitions reshaping Africa’s artistic legacy