Omar Ba

Biography

After abstract beginnings at the Beaux-arts school in Dakar, Omar Ba turned in the early 2000s to a resolutely figurative and narrative painting — a turn that coincided with his arrival at the Beaux-arts school in Geneva. His figurative style is highly personal, founded on the cross-fertilisation of cultures and techniques.

Omar Ba paints on cardboard, blending oil, watercolour, gouache, ink and pencil drawing. From a generally black ground he summons figures — human or animal, sometimes hybrid. The eye loses itself in the lushness of the colours, yet the atmosphere remains heavy.

His works draw inspiration in particular from the entire history that has crossed the African continent, as well as from its culture and traditions, and more broadly from the themes of power and authority.