Amayel Talla

Photographer

Born in Senegal, Amayel Talla is a self-taught photographer whose work is deeply inspired by her surroundings and the culture that shaped her. Refusing to choose between creativity and career, she built a path in finance while developing her artistic practice alongside it, allowing both worlds to inform and enrich one another.

African women stand at the heart of her work. Through an intimate and thoughtful photographic approach, she seeks to build alternative narratives that move beyond clichéd representations of her country, offering nuanced, powerful, and deeply human perspectives. Her images explore identity, presence, and quiet strength, inviting viewers into stories that are both personal and universal.

Her artistic journey reflects a commitment driven by passion, determination, and the desire to tell stories otherwise unseen. Amayel has exhibited her work at the 2024 Dak’Art Biennale as well as in private venues.

Contact the artist: amayelt@gmail.com

Featured Projects

Héritière

Photography, 60cm x 40cm

250.000XOF

Reflet Brisé

Photography, 60cm x 40cm

250.000XOF SOLD

#vaguesd'ames

Vagues D’Âmes

Photography, 60cm x 90cm

300.000XOF SOLD

Le regard que l’on porte sur les autres façonne notre percep-

tion. Dans une société où les critères de beauté semblent

figés, où les mannequins arborent des silhouettes standar-

disées, effaçant les différences extérieures et intérieures,

j’ai souhaité apporter ma propre vision de la beauté. Celle

qui met à l’honneur la singularité, dans un monde où la

conformité est trop souvent érigée en vertu.

Doom, doom la

Elles, sont Hawa, Ndeye Khady, Swani et Elisabeth.

Elles, ont été formées par l’ASEDEME, une association de

cœur visant la protection des enfants déficients intellectuels,

fondée par feue ma tante Aminata Mbaye et aujourd’hui

dirigée avec soin et dévouement.

Elles, ont fait de leur devise « doom doom la » et m’ont

appris ce que signifient à la fois force et grâce.

Elles m’ont appris ce que signifie véritablement être belle.

Elles, bien plus que des mannequins, sont mes muses,

artistes de leur propre vie.

J’ai pensé chaque photo comme une invitation à écou-

ter leur silence, à ressentir leur puissance, leur force,

leur fragilité ; et surtout, à contempler leur beauté.

N’est-ce pas intéressant d’observer la beauté de ces filles

intellectuellement différentes ?

À travers cette série, je vous invite à l’acceptation :

s’accepter, embrasser sa différence…

Laissez-vous toucher par ces regards, ces attitudes et

ces sourires qui chacun racontent une histoire unique.

Laissez-vous guider par la lumière qui danse autour d’elles ;

celle qui nous rappelle que la beauté prend sa source dans

les âmes. Profitez de ces instants où la différence devient

richesse.

Amayel Talla

The way we look at others shapes our

perception. In a society where beauty standards seem

set in stone, where models display standardized

figures, erasing external and internal differences,

I wanted to offer my own vision of beauty—one

that celebrates uniqueness, in a world where

conformity is too often held up as a virtue.

Doom, doom la

They are Hawa, Ndeye Khady, Swani, and Elisabeth.

They were trained by ASEDEME, a nonprofit

dedicated to protecting children with intellectual disabilities,

founded by my late aunt Aminata Mbaye and now

run with care and devotion.

They have made “doom doom la” their motto and have

taught me what both strength and grace mean.

They have taught me what it truly means to be beautiful.

They, far more than models, are my muses,

artists of their own lives.

I conceived each photo as an invitation to listen

to their silence, to feel their power, their strength,

their fragility; and above all, to contemplate their beauty.

Isn’t it fascinating to observe the beauty of these girls

who are intellectually different?

Through this series, I invite you to embrace acceptance:

to accept yourself, to embrace your differences…

Let yourself be moved by these gazes, these postures, and

these smiles, each of which tells a unique story.

Let yourself be guided by the light that dances around them;

the light that reminds us that beauty springs from

the soul. Savor these moments when difference becomes

a source of richness.

Amayel Talla