Mali

The work is dominated by luminous ochre-yellow, enriched by red, green, turquoise and darker accents. Dense impasto gives the surface an earthy physicality, while irregular organic forms, narrow connections and detached elements create a rhythm of dispersal and return. Rather than assigning specific identities to its abstract shapes, the composition suggests movement across an expansive landscape. Its interconnected forms can be read as evoking routes, communities and inherited knowledge, transforming historical depth into a vivid geometry of continuity.

Mali stands where the Sahara, Sahel and Niger River converge, a geography that fostered major networks of trade, scholarship and exchange. The empires of Ghana, Mali and Songhai shaped the wider region, while Timbuktu and Djenné became celebrated centres of learning, commerce and monumental earthen architecture. Mandé traditions form an important part of Mali’s cultural inheritance alongside Bambara, Malinké, Soninké, Songhai, Dogon, Fulani, Tuareg and other communities. Griots preserve genealogy, history and knowledge through the spoken word, while kora music, sculpture, textiles, architecture and ceremonial arts sustain distinctive creative traditions. Memory remains something performed, shared and renewed across generations.