Mauritania

The composition rises through deep green forms interrupted by gold, cream and ochre. A monumental lower oval anchors the composition, while a detached upper element creates a strong vertical dialogue across generous white space. Dense impasto gives the broad forms substantial presence, contrasted with narrow connections and pointed extensions. The relationship between weight and openness suggests distance and movement, evoking Mauritania’s enduring dialogue between desert, river and ocean.

Mauritania occupies a vast threshold between the Sahara and the Atlantic, with the Senegal River marking its southern frontier. For centuries, caravan routes connected this landscape with North and West Africa. Historic settlements including Chinguetti, Ouadane, Tichitt and Oualata preserve traditions of trans-Saharan commerce, earthen architecture and Islamic scholarship. Mauritania’s cultural identity draws upon Arab-Berber, Soninke, Pulaar and Wolof traditions, shaped by both nomadic and settled communities. Oral poetry, music, recitation and scholarship have carried knowledge across generations, while architecture, textiles, metalwork and decorative crafts reflect adaptation to desert and Sahelian environments. These inheritances reveal a culture formed through movement and exchange rather than isolation.