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 primarily grew up in California . I'm originally from Côte D'Ivoire and spent time as a child there. And I'm an infusion of three cultures, because I grew up in three countries. 

 

 

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 were to describe myself with a sense of awareness , the lense is still somewhat myopic in a way . 

 

Art Narrations: : Without a story I don't have a starting point. Each painting, each photo, each drawing, and design has a story weaving into another. It is like one big labyrinth where I put so much enigma, reality, imagination, aloofness, and life. II play with the duality and juxtaposition of opposites in each segment of art. Some stories are easy, while others I let the viewers tell me what they see to make their own story out of mine. I find that it is a beautiful way to interact with others as I may be strange in person; this is my way of communicating. There is a juxtapposition of using geometric shapes something  rather simple and creating complex stories or ideas.  So you see a duality of shapes creating an image which is really the base of drawing itself. We learn shapes and curve them, smooth it out to create the image. 

 

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 who is one of my favorite architects and centered around his usage of lighting , space, and design. 

 

Colors : I try to use colors in a way where you don't think to use this sort of combination. It isn't in a textbook. You have to use your hands. I get a lot of inspirations from the colors of Cote D'Ivoire. Just these rich colors. A lot of my grandmother's clothing have amazing color palettes. I own a lot of her pieces, you are looking at a fabric that is over 60 years old and vibrant.   My grandfather was a wood carver and the way he could sharply make an angle on wood and you see the lines of the wood and how he can cut through ebony wood which is one of the hardest wood out there. So angles and shapes are def inspired by my origin. 

 

Design: The designs are inspired and created by the art narrations. Their stories. I know how to see through my own paintings and drawings.  In Progess ...as I filter a lot of my own ideas out. 

 

Collaborations: I think artists regardless of their industry have a common factor. These projects create a fusion where several bodies of work come together at one.  The paintings of Project A were really inspired by the color theory of my photographer friend Maciek. I do not think I would have naturally thought of  those colors. I went into his mindframe as a photographer and he went into my mindframe as a painter.  

"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.