Rock art
Like other Saharan countries such as Algeria, Mali, Niger and Chad, Mauritania is rich in rock paintings and engravings. Dating from the early Neolithic period (around 7,000 B.C.), they represent specimens of wildlife: crocodiles, giraffes, elephants and rhinoceroses. Other artists, 4,000 years later, show us mainly their herds of cattle. Around 1000 BC, hunting scenes appeared on the rock.
Engravings and rock paintings are concentrated in the Adrar region, at El-Ghallâouïya, north-east of Ouadane and in the Amogjar pass. A famous frieze of dancers decorates one of the rock shelters of the site of Agrour Amogjar. More generally, the dhars along the tracks between Atar, Tidjikja, Tichit and Oualata are full of these representations, particularly at Aghrijit. This small village, located about thirty kilometers east of Tichit, has the advantage, in addition to these rock engravings, of being an exceptional archaeological site.
Cultural scene
Mauritania is a land of Arab-Berber and sub-Saharan crossbreeding, and its artists have been organizing themselves for the past twenty years. Painting is the dominant means of expression. The Union des Artistes Peintres de Mauritanie was founded in 1999; in 2009, M-Art, a collective of young visual artists, was organized.
Mostly self-taught, the artists adapt to the lack of structures. Saleh Lô learns painting through tutorials. He deals with social themes, such as street children and slavery, in a realistic style. Skilled portraitist, he multiplies residencies and cultural exchange programs.
Malika Diagana expresses her talent through photography. Born to a Mauritanian father and a Cape Verdean mother, she studied graphic design and video in Dakar. In her portraits, mostly in black and white, she evokes a multiculturalism between past and future.
Amy Sow
The artist Amy Sow is very involved in the art world. Born in 1977 in Nouakchott, she questions the female condition in her paintings. Her first exhibition was held in 2004 at the National Museum of Nouakchott. Very quickly, the artist of Peul origin is recognized beyond the borders. She was invited to exhibit at the World Festival of Black Arts in Dakar in 2010, then in Spain and the United States.
At the head of the Festival Libre Art (+), she opened Art Gallé in Nouakchott, both art gallery and artists' residence. This place, entirely built with recycled materials, received Emmanuel Macron during an official visit. Note that "Ar Galle" means "come home" in Fulani!
Mauritanian artists from elsewhere
Some artists, expatriates, have chosen Mauritania like the British artist Chris Anthem who likes to paint in the open air, on the Atlantic coast. We find in his works the languor and luminosity of the Mauritanian beach. He exhibits at the Zeinart gallery, a meeting place that works to improve knowledge of Mauritania.
Since 1998, the French artist Nicole Vignote has been living in Mauritania. After having rubbed shoulders with the Parisian artistic milieu, on the side of the Bastille, she travelled to the four corners of the world before settling in Mauritania. Painter and sculptor, she draws from all the cultures she has crossed on her way. The artist is also the founder of the Association of Mauritanian Artists and the Circle of Poets. Nicole Vignote leads art workshops and acts in favor of children's rights during local cultural events.
First wave of artists
Among the self-taught artists who have laid the foundations of Mauritanian art, Hamed, born in Rosso, came to painting through calligraphy. With his minimalist style, all in curves and warm colors, he invites us to discover the daily life of nomads.
Souleymane Abbas, painter and sculptor, lives between Mauritania and Senegal. His works, full of wisdom and poetry, are at the crossroads of abstraction and sub-Saharan art. He is one of the founders of the Maison des artistes.
Moctar Ould Sidi Mohamed, better known as Mokhis, was born in 1957 in Rosso. Initially a draftsman, he switched to painting by preparing his own canvases and pigments. His gesture is based on instinct, breathing, automatic movement and light. The younger generation readily cites him as their master.
A pioneer of contemporary Mauritanian painting, Mamadou Anne discovered his artistic fibre during a trip to Italy in the 1970s. Passionate about music and painting, his paintings are reminiscent of a dance of shapes and colors.
The next generation
In the last twenty years, new exhibition spaces have been created. In 2003, two teachers opened the first private gallery in Nouakchott: the Sinaa Gallery. The place then moved to the K block and expanded. Local arts and crafts are welcome.
The painter Zeinebou Mint Chiaa, born in 1986 in Nouakchott, gives life to her imagination through drawing and painting. A student of the painter Mokhis at the House of Artists at Socogim Tevragh'Zeïna, she turns to abstraction. Her large canvases made in mixed media combine sand, pigments, collage and paint. They were exhibited at theFrench Institute of Nouakchott. Zeinebou Mint Chiaa uses part of her profits to help children in need.
Also a student of Mokhis, Mohamed Aly came to painting through calligraphy. His inspiration, nourished by nomadic culture and ancestral motifs, is expressed in a resolutely modern style.
The Zeinart gallery continues to promote diversity. Among the local artists it supports, we can admire abstract painters like Mamadou Anne or discover the young Oumar Ball, our favorite! This precocious genius is very appreciated in his country but also in Europe. The recognition of Oumar Ball is well deserved. In sculpture, his timeless filiform silhouettes attest to an astonishing maturity. As for his animal drawings, they evoke cave art, with a touch of poetry and a hint of abstraction that make them unforgettable. Talents to follow closely..
