Art. Creation. Design.

About A.C.D.  

gallery/doubelcompound-3

A.C.D.   

Photographer : Tarishi Gupta / Photo Edit : A.C.D. 

Assistant Photographer : Circé Malnoy

Styling : Ariane Velluire  Makeup : Lisa Cooper 

Name :  Amah Cynthia Dongo ( A.C.D.) 

 

Birth Place :  Paris, France

 

Birthdate :  September 14

 

Residence : New York City, New York 

 

Upbringing : I mostly grew up in California time wise. But I spent my childhood in Cote D'Ivoire and Paris prior to moving to California. In the educational years , I lived in London and Miami as well. And obviously New York in the latter years.  I've been living in Paris for the last five years so I  just moved back to New York. I don't ever speak English  with my parents. 

 

Education : 

 

University of California : Davis ( B.A.) English Literature

Davis, California : USA

 

The New School : Parsons School of Design (AAS) Fashion Design

New York, New York : USA 

 

Cal Arts- Typography /History of Logos / Letters- Courses

 

Languages : French & English 

 

Skills : Adobe Creative Suite ( Lightroom, Photoshop, Illustrator, Bridge, InDesign ) , Microsoft Office,  Photography, Design ( Construction - Womenswear) , Sewing, Pattern Making, Painting ,  Knitting, Drawing, Tech Drawing, Typography, Print Design, Digital Media, Color Theory,  Writing , Painting

 

3 words to describe myself : Chameleon, Maverick, Progressive

 

How I think people would describe me : Enigmatic. I think it takes a while for people to really get me even if I describe myself with a sense of awareness , the lense is still somewhat myopic in a way . I get  a lot of :  you are nothing like I thought you were.  And I like to think the art is an extension of my persona, and every single art or design does have a story. I'm very into creating a narration which lies in the letter Projects, but even with the individual paintings  that exists and some stories overlap or will connect to other ones. 

 

 

Stories: A painting like Le Grand Prince is my interpretation of  one of my favorite childhood novels of what happens when the Little Prince grows up which was something as I grew up asked does he grow up too? So that is one story for one painting but there is the interpretation that it is the EU symbolically , or the Prince of Europe because of the color thematics. I  did one called Corbusier's Cyclone and I really centered the painting around Corbusier's style and I don't think I can use shapes without understanting perspective , architecture, lighting, or space. So I have to respect the design elements even in painting much like in clothing. It really is the same language. 

 

 Right now I'm working on a painting called  7 Pool Players based on my favorite poems by  Gwendolyn Brooks - We Real Cool.  

 

But elsewhere you have a painting like Metamorphosis that ties in to Project A directly. 

 

 

 

"This idea began with me, myself, and I. The perpetual fusion of three compartments into one. I do not believe that the constructs of an artist should be defined by one singularity. Who is the artist? What is it to create? That is a good question. I hope to answer it by the letter Z. Through the first 4 letter projects A-D  : The Age of Butterflies ( Metamorphosis, Cocoon, Caterpillar, and Birth) ; I will explore the duality of each artist involved and their battle of the 3s including myself. I address the psychology of the artist : their id, ego, and superego; and the chaos of creativity. 

 

The artists I am privileged to work with I simply call the 'artgang'. From photographers, muses, painters ,designers, and much more. There is one common trait. The spirit of their hands.  

 

I best describe myself as a true chameleon.  I do try to stay to the elements of art, creation and design for that is where my strengths remain...but I would not trust that either. The most honest thing I can say is : EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED. That is what life is. Adaptation. For some survival. By the time I even label myself, I would have already changed and evolved through the nature of life itself.  My adoration and respect of the galleries, museums, and libraries of my youth  are cherished ; and one will see their influences throughout the projects. Anything in relation to that is out of the sincerest respect. I thank them, I love them, and I am probably in there more often than they think. 

 

I think the artworks, 'artgang'  and the nature of  Art. Creation. Design speaks best of the narration and its focus. Despite the range of talents, different styles: I seek to fuse the narration to create one commonality and speak ultimately one voice : The Voice of The Artist . 

 

Thank you for visiting.   " - A.C.D.