Omar Ba
SAME DREAM – SOLO SHOW

THE POWER PLANT, TORONTO, CANADAFrom 26/01/2019 to 12/05/2019

The Power Plant presents Omar Ba’s first institutional solo exhibition.Omar Ba’s work engages with some of the most urgent issues of our time: the growing inequality of wealth and power globally, questions around immigration, and our changing relationship with the natural world. His penchant for depicting personal narratives alongside collective ones speaks to the“in-between” condition of his work, as he splits his time between Dakar, Senegal and Geneva, Switzerland, and blends the visual texture of both places through his practice. Ba draws from and intertwines a range of elements— the historical and contemporary, figurative and abstract imagery—from African and European cultures, and the techniques and tools he employs; including corrugated cardboard and canvas, paintbrushes and his hands. Additionally, Ba’s chosen materials are typically selected from his immediate surroundings and repurposed in creative ways. He prepares his surfaces—whether cardboard, canvas or wall—with a black ground, upon which he layers a vivid palette dominated by primary colours. His paintings teem with details as micro-worlds transpire within larger constellations, oscillating between bold planes of colour and intricate outlines, which unravel across their surfaces. The figures and forms portrayed are largely symbolic, referring not to specific individuals, but rather open to universal narratives.    Same Dream brings together several of Ba’s paintings depicting dictators and authority figures, who lead corrupt and violent regimes across the African continent and in other parts of the world, particularly where the legacies of colonialism persist. At times represented as hybrid beasts—part human, part animal— these despotic warlords are typically enveloped in an abundance of lush flora and fauna. Indeed, nature becomes a recurring force across Ba’s oeuvre. These biomorphic shapes are often inspired by Senegal’s dazzling coastal environment in which Ba grew up. In conversation with this group of paintings, the exhibition also presents works that reveal Ba’s affinity for portraying the strength of the human spirit –depictions of youth who, regardless of where they are, share some of the same dreams for the future. For the exhibition at The Power Plant, Ba has developed a new large-scale work directly on the walls of the gallery, exploring a recurrent motif of birth, death and reincarnation across different cultures today. The world of Omar Ba’s painting is a hybrid one, ultimately evoking a shared cosmogony between humans, plants and animals.   Event January 26, 1.00 pm, Studio Theatre, Harbourfront Center, Free admission :  In Conversation, Omar Ba & Nabila Abdel Nabi. In this program, Omar Ba will discuss the evolution of his work with Associate Curator Nabila Abdel Nabi. The two will expand on the exhibition themes of the human spirit and the shared dreams and desires for the future. This conversation will conclude with questions from the audience.   Curator: Nabila Abdel Nabi.  

Omar Ba
Prune Nourry
Tunga
40 ANS DE PASSION – GROUP SHOW

FONDATION FERNET-BRANCA, SAINT-LOUIS, FRANCE From 27/05/2018 to 30/09/2018 

Omar Ba
QUEL AMOUR?! – GROUP SHOW

MAC (MUSEE D’ART CONTEMPORAIN), MARSEILLE, FRANCE From 10/05/2018 to 02/09/2018

In French, the expression “Quel Amour!? [What Love!?] is an existential exhortation that raises questions about the universal nature of love as well as its ever-changing manifestations across generations, cultures, civilizations, and even within the arc of a single relationship.This eponymous exhibition brings together the work of acclaimed contemporary artists from around the world that bears witness to the permanent role love plays in artistic creation.

Omar Ba
LE HAVRE – DAKAR, PARTAGER LA MéMOIRE (GROUP SHOW)

MUSEUM D'HISTOIRE NATURELLE DU HAVRE (LE HAVRE, FRANCE)From 06/27/17 to 12/31/17

Omar Ba
AFROPOLITAN – GROUP SHOW

FESTIVAL AFROPOLITAN, BOZAR, BRUSSELS, BELGIUMFrom 2/03/2017 to 2/05/2017

The Afropolitan Festival is three days of exceptional programming dedicated to Afropolitan art, creativity and state of mind, presented by BOZAR and its partners, with honorary guest artists Fredy Massamba, the great voice of Afro-soul, and Tatiana Silva, television presenter. Some thirty multidisciplinary events with over 70 artists and cultural players from Belgium, the two Congos, Ghana and Europe are articulated around three themes: the Belgian Congolese diaspora, Afropolitans of Europe, and bridges between Sub-Saharans and North Africans. The majority of the events are free.

Omar Ba
EN TOUTE MODESTIE, ARCHIPEL DI ROSA – GROUP SHOW

MIAM SETE, SETE, FRANCE From 02/02/2017 to 9/17/2017

The Exhibition En toute modestie – Archipel Di Rosa portrays this artiste from Sete, Hervé Di Rosa, through his influences, preferences and commitments. By bringing together 70 artistes, the exhibition explores the theme from contemporary art to pop arts, referring also to Outsider art, religious art and craft industry. Curator: Julie Crenn   With: ACM – Kwame Akoto / Almighty God – Pilar Albarracin – Elodie Antoine – Pierre Ardouvin – Marion Auburtin & Benjamin L. Aman – Omar Ba – Enrico Baj – Rina Banerjee – Raphael Barontini – Zoulikha Bouabdellah – Thérèse Bonnelalbay – Anne Brégeaut – Bernard Buffet – Marcos Carrasquer – Henri Darger – Hélène Delprat – Mathilde Denize – Dewar & Gicquel – Hervé Di Rosa – Jean Dubuffet – Christelle Familiari – Richard Fauguet – Harald Fernagu – Aurélie Ferruel & Florentine Guédon – Charles Fréger – Vidya Gastaldon – Romuald Hazoumé – Hippolyte Hentgen – David Hockney – Benoit Huot – Lydie Jean-Dit-Pannel – Milan Kunc – Yayoi Kusama – Carlos Kusnir – Charles Lapicque – Francisco Larios – Léa Le Bricomte – Mélanie Lecointe – Fernand Léger – Eugène Leroy – Natacha Lesueur – Aurélie William Levaux – Pascal Lièvre – Myriam Mechita – Elena Moaty – Pierre Molinier – Lucien Murat – Hassan Musa – Otobong Nkanga – ORLAN – Régis Perray – Guillaume Pinard – Agathe Pitié – Raphaëlle Ricol – Athi Patra Ruga – Lionel Sabatté – Peter Saul – Judith Scott – Sarah Tschann – Sarah Tritz – Willem Van Genk – Alan Vega – Erwan Venn – Marion Verboom – Adrien Vermont – Jean-Luc Verna – Gretel Weyer – Maria Jeona Zoleta – Unica Zurn.