After a long absence from the Paris art scene, Omar Ba is making a dazzling comeback with a new series of works inspired by a great classic of African literature. At the invitation of Diane de Selliers, the Senegalese artist is unveiling a brand new project until 21 December, in which he illustrates in images the famous Fulani tale “Kaïdara’” as transcribed by the writer Amadou Ampâté Bâ. This playful exploration of African tales is taking place at the Templon gallery in Paris, immersing visitors in a captivating universe, punctuated by a masterful array of works by Omar Ba.
Born in Dakar in 1977, Omar Ba is a visual artist who has made a name for himself on the contemporary art scene. Renowned for his complex artistic practice, his creativity is a blend of African and Western influences. In his creative process, Omar Ba skilfully combines African and Western influences, producing works of universal depth. His art explores a variety of themes, including the environment, international politics, societal transformations and demographic challenges.
Like many contemporary African artists, Omar Ba uses his work as a tool and a visual metaphor to address contemporary issues. Using a dreamlike approach, he questions notions of identity and power, offering a committed perspective on the place of the African continent in today’s world.
In this new series, Senegalese artist Omar Ba unveils an impressive body of work, estimated at around forty pieces, the fruit of a year of intense creative work. This painstaking process has enabled him to analyse and represent the lines of this literary classic from which he drew his inspiration. In keeping with the allegorical poem in free verse from 1968, the exhibition retraces the journey of three companions, guided by a mysterious and omniscient voice, towards the secret land of the dwarf-spirits.
On this odyssey, they encounter eleven enigmatic figures, including a chameleon, a scorpion and an inexhaustible spring, each bearing philosophical and spiritual meanings. More than just chance encounters, these encounters encourage the travellers to continue their quest, culminating in the long-awaited meeting with Kaïdara, the god of gold and knowledge. But on the way back, only those who, thirsty for knowledge and wisdom, know how to divest themselves of their material possessions will emerge victorious.
Typex et crayon sur toile 250 × 150 cm
Omar Ba’s landscapes are both mysterious and fascinating, set against vibrant backgrounds of black, yellow and orange paint. On these canvases, his creative generosity reveals hybrid figures and ancestral references, composing a poetic cosmogony of great richness. Through an abundance of colours, motifs and textures, the artist captures the very essence of the mysteries and teachings that mark out the path to Kaïdara.
More than just an illustration, this exhibition becomes a means for Omar Ba to explore African realities and legends, while offering a glimpse of his fertile imagination. His art provokes lively reflection on the profound values that transcend the material, urging us to embrace this perpetual quest for knowledge and wisdom in a world where each work resonates with unprecedented force.
An established and distinguished artist, Omar Ba has made his mark on the international art scene through his participation in an impressive number of solo and group exhibitions. Among the most recent are ‘Clin d’œil à Cheikh Anta Diop – Un continent à la recherche de son histoire’ (United Nations headquarters, New York) 2024 and ‘Destins Communs’ (Kunsthalle Mulhouse, France) 2023. His works have also been shown in prestigious institutions such as the Baltimore Museum of Art in the United States, in the exhibition ‘’Omar Ba: Political Animals‘’, and at the FIAF Gallery in New York in 2022 in ‘’Clin d’œil‘’.
The Senegalese artist has also shone internationally with emblematic exhibitions such as ‘’Omar Ba: Journey Beyond Illusion‘’ at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in 2022, and ‘’Omar Ba: Same Dream‘’, which has enjoyed wide exposure at several venues in Canada, including Contemporary Calgary and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in 2019 and 2020. His work was highlighted as part of ‘’Global(e) Résistance‘’ at the National Museum of Modern Art – Centre Georges Pompidou in 2020, as well as at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris in the exhibition ‘’Art/Afrique, le nouvel atelier‘’ in 2017.
Omar Ba has also taken part in major events such as the Afropolitan festival at Bozar in Brussels, ‘’ Afrique – Raconter le Monde‘’ in Milan, and ‘’Le Havre – Dakar, Partager la mémoire‘’ at the Museum of Natural History in The Havre in 2017. His work has also made its presence felt at London’s Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition, and at two editions of the Dakar Biennale, in 2014 and 2022.
His works are now part of many prestigious public collections, testimony to his impact and recognition in the contemporary art world. These include the National Centre for Plastic Arts (CNAP) in France, the Pompidou Centre, the Louis Vuitton Collection in Paris, the Swiss National Collection in Basel, and the Abu Dhabi Louvre in the United Arab Emirates. Omar Ba continues to fascinate with his ability to blend history, identity and commitment through powerful, evocative art.