Emotion Tissée 1 (La Vénus de Ballo)

Composed mainly of shades of gray, this painting reveals the body of a woman wearing pink underwear. The colors are arranged in lines similar to the patterns found on bogolans, traditional Malian fabrics, whose intersections are highlighted with small colored cotton balls. Devoid of head and limbs, this body is a reinterpretation of the Venus de Milo, confronting the ancient model with elements of modern culture. Thus, the drapery covering her, characteristic of the Hellenistic period, is replaced here by a bikini bottom, and the techniques usually associated with the virtuoso treatment of drapery are substituted by this reminder of African craftsmanship. This idea of connection is reinforced by the weaving of the figure: form and background respond to each other, forming part of the same pictorial harmony.