Early life and education
Diagne was born in Thiès, Senegal, in 1957. He studied at Lycée Delafosse in Dakar, graduating with a B.A. in 1981. He is largely self-taught, and his early training included exposure to traditional Senegalese crafts such as rock carving, ceramics, wood sculpture, murals, and tapestry, as well as Thiesoise (reverse glass painting).
Career
After working in Senegal and Europe, Diagne relocated to the United States and established his practice in Los Angeles in the 1980s. He has lived and worked in the Leimert Park neighborhood for more than 35 years, becoming a central figure in the community.
His practice spans printmaking, painting, collagraphs, carving, and mixed media. He developed the "Aziz Method," a process of calibrating and inking intaglio plates to produce multiple colors in a single run.
Diagne has traveled throughout Africa, Europe, and South America, experiences that have influenced his work and themes of migration, memory, and belonging.
His art has appeared in popular media, including set decoration for Poetic Justice (1993), Vampire in Brooklyn (1995), Antwone Fisher (2002), HBO's Insecure, Snowfall, Moesha (1996–2001), and Bob Hearts Abishola. His works have been featured in music videos such as Michael Jackson's "Smooth Operator" and Erykah Badu's "Next Lifetime". He has also made acting appearances, including roles in Antwone Fisher, HBO's Insecure, and HGTV's Carol Duvall Show.
Teaching and mentorship
Since 2022, Diagne has taught art at 42nd Street Elementary School in Los Angeles, instructing 60–89 students weekly. He founded Aziz Gallerie in Leimert Park, one of the first fine-art spaces in Los Angeles dedicated to African and diasporic artists. He later established a gallery in South Central Los Angeles devoted to emerging artists, and has provided free studio space and mentorship in Leimert Park. Internationally, he created a training program in Senegal to help artisans master reverse glass painting.
