“THE FOULANI FLUTE PLAYER”: This work by Ibou Ndoye is part of “Leboone Lipone,” on view at the Silvia Gallery of Art at The Pennington School through January 10.

The Silva Gallery of Art at The Pennington School presents “Leboone Lipone,” an exhibition of paintings by Ibou Ndoye, through January 10.

Born in Dakar, Senegal, Ndoye has combined modernism and traditionalism to create a style unique to himself. Ndoye grew up as the oldest child in a family of four boys in the suburbs of Dakar. His mother made her living as a dressmaker while his grandmother worked as a tie-dye artist. Regularly surrounded by colorful African textiles and fabrics, Ndoye says he “socialized with art and cohabited with colors” from a very young age.

“The mediums I use to create my paintings resonate with the stories; that is the reason why I paint on glass windows, carpets, canvases, and whatever the environment provides, Ndoye said. “Patterns, forms, motifs, lines, signs, colors, and scraps of fabric are part of the visual language that enables me to articulate the stories of the voiceless.”

Embracing the shutdown of the pandemic as a time for him to vigorously create, much of the work in this show was made during the past three years and is being shown to the public for the first time. Ndoye’s art is inspired by stories from an immemorial oral tradition and African street scenes. “Leboone Lipone” is a Wolof call and response word that means once upon a time. This expression is used by storytellers to engage the community in artistic conversations, which is what Ndoye’s work does in this show.

The Silva Gallery of Art is located on The Pennington School’s campus at 112 West Delaware Avenue, Pennington. For more information, call (609) 737-4133 or email Gallery Director Dolores Eaton at deaton@pennington.org.