A Life in Drawing, a Life in Cinema

In July 2025, space Un presented a vibrant and rare exhibition of hand-painted movie posters by the late Ablaye Ndiaye Thiossane, curated from the personal collection of Florent Mazzoleni.

Thiossane, a self-taught painter, musician, and multidisciplinary artist from Senegal, produced hundreds of cinema posters during the golden era of Dakar’s neighbourhood movie houses. Each work reinterprets iconic films through his distinctive visual language—bold, raw, and deeply rooted in Senegalese aesthetics. His practice has been described as “part of the very fabric of Senegalese national identity,” underscoring its enduring cultural and historical significance.

Drawn from Florent Mazzoleni’s collection, the exhibition offered insight into a unique intersection of art, cinema, and collective memory.

Installation view, A Life in Drawing, A Life in Cinema, space Un, Tokyo, Sep 25–October 26 2026. Courtesy Space Un, Tokyo. Photographer: Tsuyoshi Kojima.

VENUE: space Un (KLO Minami-Aoyama, Bldg. 1F, 2-4-9 Minamiaoyama, Minatoku, Tokyo)
HOURS: 12:00 p.m.– 7:00 p.m. (Admissions close 15 minutes prior to closing time)
CONTACT: contact@spaceun.tokyo