The Studio Of Vanities
© Omar Victor DiopA series of portraits of a young generation of Artists and cultural Entrepreneurs by Omar Victor Diop. These vibrant, stylized images feature expressive personalities against richly patterned fabrics—powerful visuals that reflect identity, heritage, and contemporary African creativity.
Launched by Omar Victor Diop around 2012–2013, the series presents staged, collaborative portraits and highlights creative, urban African individuals—designers, musicians, actors, journalists, and more—who represent a dynamic, youthful generation. Each image is co-created with the sitter to express their identity and aspirations.
Diop draws inspiration from mid-20th-century African portraitists like Seydou Keïta, Malick Sidibé, and Mama Casset, updating their visual language with bold, contemporary aesthetics.
Fabrics used in the portraits are selected from Diop’s family collection—some passed down for generations. These textiles not only embellish the visuals but also anchor each portrait in emotional and historical contexts.
The subjects represent a cosmopolitan Africa—regardless of race or background, they are united by creativity and ambition. Diop aims to offer a refreshing, optimistic counter-narrative to one-dimensional portrayals of the continent.
click to view the complete set of images in the archive
InstituteTM (collectively Institute Pictures, Institute Studios, & Institute Artist) is redefining how stories are produced and told in the 21st Century. Founded by Producer Frank Evers and Director/Visual Artist Lauren Greenfield, we are a multiplatform production company representing auteur-driven storytellers across commercials, photography, fine art, film, and technology — and producing original work across every screen that those stories live on. Our multiplatform expertise and established global relationships in entertainment, commercial, fine art, and journalism create unmatched reach and cross-pollination of creative work. A film commission informs a photography campaign; a fine art practice shapes a commercial; an editorial relationship opens a documentary. Few companies operate fluently across all of these worlds. Institute was built this way from the ground up.
Clients include: Apple, Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft/Xbox, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Nike, Adidas, Lululemon, Under Armour, Dove, Maybelline, Clinique, Ulta Beauty, Aesop, Vaseline, LEGO, Balenciaga, Dior, Tom Ford, Kenzo, Supreme, Van Cleef & Arpels, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Toyota, McLaren, Pennzoil, American Express, Chase, U.S. Bank, Burger King, Chobani, Corona, Pepsi, Nespresso, Lavazza, Velveeta, Airbnb, Four Seasons, Marriott, Instacart, eBay, JCPenney, Levi's, Swatch, Bang & Olufsen, Bayer, Pfizer, Genentech, EA, Planned Parenthood, Ad Council, and the United Nations. Editorial and publishing partners include: The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, GQ, Esquire, TIME, Bloomberg, National Geographic, The Economist, Monocle, Le Monde, Stern, Sunday Times Magazine, Phaidon, Steidl, Abrams, Prestel, Chronicle, and Random House.
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