Oumar Ball
Mauritanian artist Oumar Ball was born in 1985 in Bababé, in the Fouta Tooro river region. First raised by his grandmother, he later moved to Nouakchott with his family at the age of twelve. Growing up alongside his father, a painter and photographer, he quickly followed in his footsteps. At nine, he began experimenting with sculpture, and by fifteen, he had turned more seriously toward painting. His artistic research oscillates between figuration and abstraction, between instinctive gesture and symbolic form.
Oumar Ball's work subtly addresses African geopolitics through animal metaphors. Like La Fontaine's fables, he recounts human displacement and social change, against all odds. From Mauritania to Senegal, the use of recycled materials found in the desert or in landfills becomes a geopolitical marker. These materials reveal the tensions in the region, while exposing the social, economic, and cultural underbelly of the country. This approach is also rooted in the personal history of the artist, who, during his childhood, migrated from one bank of the Senegal River to the other, crossing the border with the rhythm of the seasons and the rising waters.
Since 2016, Ball has presented several solo exhibitions, including Weeyo at OH Gallery (2023); Esquisse de vie, Institut Français of Nouakchott (2016); Palette du Fouta, Galerie Sinaa, Nouakchott (2013); and Peintre des sables, Forum des Arts, Talence, France (2007). He has also participated in numerous group shows, such as Home at OH Gallery, Dakar (2024); Chimères, Fondation Blachère, France (2023); We Are Africa, World Bank, Washington, D.C. (2022); and La Meute, OFF Dakar Biennale (2022).
More recently, he was selected for the 15th edition of the Dakar Biennale in 2024, curated by Salimata Diop. His works are part of major collections, including the Fondation Blachère (France), the U.S. Embassy in Nouakchott, and the World Bank Collection in Washington. Oumar Ball lives and works in Nouakchott.
Oumar Ball's work subtly addresses African geopolitics through animal metaphors. Like La Fontaine's fables, he recounts human displacement and social change, against all odds. From Mauritania to Senegal, the use of recycled materials found in the desert or in landfills becomes a geopolitical marker. These materials reveal the tensions in the region, while exposing the social, economic, and cultural underbelly of the country. This approach is also rooted in the personal history of the artist, who, during his childhood, migrated from one bank of the Senegal River to the other, crossing the border with the rhythm of the seasons and the rising waters.
Since 2016, Ball has presented several solo exhibitions, including Weeyo at OH Gallery (2023); Esquisse de vie, Institut Français of Nouakchott (2016); Palette du Fouta, Galerie Sinaa, Nouakchott (2013); and Peintre des sables, Forum des Arts, Talence, France (2007). He has also participated in numerous group shows, such as Home at OH Gallery, Dakar (2024); Chimères, Fondation Blachère, France (2023); We Are Africa, World Bank, Washington, D.C. (2022); and La Meute, OFF Dakar Biennale (2022).
More recently, he was selected for the 15th edition of the Dakar Biennale in 2024, curated by Salimata Diop. His works are part of major collections, including the Fondation Blachère (France), the U.S. Embassy in Nouakchott, and the World Bank Collection in Washington. Oumar Ball lives and works in Nouakchott.