blackpuffin is a boutique company focusing on equal parts collaboration and strategy while working exclusively with artists from Africa and its diaspora. Our mission is to produce an interactive platform for collectors, institutions and contemporary Black artists to engage and motivate each other through curating and advising. We are dedicated to building an environment where Black voices can thrive and find representation to an international audience.
Consulting
Building, maintaining and growing private/public art collections.
Providing digital inventory base for collections.
Designing and printing of catalogs and other publications.
Curating
Curating and executing contemporary art exhibitions independently or through partnership with galleries, art institutions or other businesses.
Project management, ranging from initial logistics to opening of exhibitions.
Team
Modou Dieng Yacine | Curator
Modou Dieng was born in Saint-Louis, Senegal. He is a multidisciplinary artist and curator exploring the symbolic and mythological power of pop culture icons through mixed media and hybrid materials. His work constructs a mural of archetypal cultural imagery filtered through the perspective of a split identity between Blackness and Western Philosophy. Dieng has exhibited internationally and is the co-founder of blackpuffin. Dieng holds an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute.
Dorte Bjerregaard | Director
Dorte was born and raised in Denmark. She is the other co-founder of blackpuffin. Dorte has over 15 years of experience creating events for art institutions and holds a masters degree in art history and art criticism. She has served on several boards including, the board of Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis, the Board of Directors at the Arts and Education Council and the board of the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. Dorte worked as executive producer for barrett barrera’s art fairs and curatorial projects in addition to being founding director of its projects+gallery in St.Louis MO.
Douglas Filiak | Designer
Doug is a graphic designer based in the Pacific Northwest since 2014. Prior to that he spent 14yrs between New York, London, and Los Angeles and continues to collaborate with museums and cultural institutions such as The New York Times, MoMA, The Ford Foundation, and Smithsonian Institute as well as commercial clients: Calvin Klein, MTV, and Virgin. He’s served on the board of directors for the American Institute of Graphic Arts - New York (AIGA/NY) and has a BFA from Michigan State University.
Jesse Siegel | Producer
Jesse Siegel was born in Cancun, Mexico. He is an artist and technologist currently based in The Netherlands. He has an interest in language and culture and worked as editor and curator with art projects in San Francisco, Portland and now Amsterdam. Prior to that Jesse spent 8 years as program manager and linguist for Sony PlayStation within a global team in Japan, United States and Europe. He holds an MA in Artistic Research from the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague.
Contributors
Devon Van Houten Maldonado
Rikki Byrd
Kwame S. Brathwaite
Emmanuel Iduma
Danielle A. Jackson
Charlotte Eyerman
and more
