Artist: Omar Ba

Omar Ba returns to Galerie Templon’s New York space with a compelling ensemble of new works, signaling a defining moment in the artist’s practice. Recently established in New York, Ba now positions his work in direct engagement with the city’s cultural and political landscape—a shift palpable throughout the exhibition, which navigates the tensions and affinities between local rootedness and transatlantic resonance.

Travelling between Dakar and New York, Ba unveils a body of work informed by his attentive exploration of the historical and contemporary ties between African communities on the continent and the African diasporas of North America. Deeply imbued with the texture of this American context, his paintings probe overlapping memories, shared legacies, and the often-unseen bonds of diasporic kinship. Through his singular perspective, Omar Ba chooses not to depict stories of victimization, but rather those that embody ascent, determination, and the radiance of individuals who have forged their own path.

Executed in a range of media—including acrylic, oil, pencil, Indian ink, and Bic pen—Omar Ba’s canvases depict striking portraits, both bust-length and full-figure, that appear to emerge from void-like grounds, suspended within richly layered pictorial spaces. Some meet the viewer’s gaze with a disarming directness, drawing us into their contemplative presence. His works cast an optimistic, luminous gaze on history, events, and emblematic figures, elevating them as role models. While his earlier oeuvre was populated by chimerical, hybrid beings, this new series embraces an unprecedented realism—manifested through frontal, pared-down figures that speak with quiet intensity.

Through Promises and Glory, the artist seeks to rewrite history by underscoring accomplishments and positive perspectives. This exhibition thus becomes a vibrant homage to Black achievement: a celebration of the power, potential, and determination of a community that, despite obstacles, has succeeded in reaching the heights. Born in Dakar in 1977, Omar Ba is widely recognized as one of the most singular voices in contemporary African painting. Having studied at the École nationale des beaux-arts in Dakar and later in Geneva, Ba has exhibited extensively, both individually and collectively. His work has been shown at major institutions including the United Nations Headquarters, New York (2024); Kunsthalle de Mulhouse, France (2023); the Baltimore Museum of Art; FIAF Gallery, New York (2022); the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (2022); Contemporary Calgary, Canada (2020); the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (2019); The Power Plant, Toronto (2019); Centre Pompidou, Paris (2020); Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris (2017); Bozar, Brussels (2017); Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea, Milan (2017); the Natural History Museum of Le Havre (2017); the Royal Academy of Arts, London; and the Dakar Biennale (2014, 2022). His works are held in numerous public collections, including those of the Centre National des Arts Plastiques (France), the Centre Pompidou, the Louis Vuitton Collection (Paris), the Swiss National Collection (Basel), and the Louvre Abu Dhabi.