Introducing Ba Djibril Ngawa
Ba Djibril Ngawa, born in 1968 in the pastoral village of Douboulde in southeastern Mauritania’s Guidimaka region, is a self-taught artist whose work reflects his rich cultural heritage and diverse life experiences. Raised in a Fulani family that served as a bridge between various Mauritanian ethnic groups, Ngawa’s upbringing was deeply rooted in pastoralism and traditional education, including learning Arabic and the Quran.
His artistic journey is characterized by a unique blend of pastoral abstract and figurative expressionism, where each piece embodies dynamic movement and emotion. Ngawa describes his creations as “a lyric, a melody, and movements in a visual form,” often representing herds of cattle, flocks of birds, or groups of people. He encourages viewers to engage with his work from different perspectives, noting that “looking closely to the artwork in different moments you see different things, mainly if you fragment the piece and join different parts.”
After relocating to Brooklyn, New York, Ngawa sought to bridge his nomadic-pastoral traditions with contemporary Western artistic expressions. His multidisciplinary approach encompasses painting, photography, drawing, and writing, all serving as mediums to retrace his personal experiences and explore the concept of “one humanity” as a common thread.
Ngawa’s work has been showcased in numerous exhibitions across the United States, including:
Douglas Elliman Real Estate Gallery, Brooklyn, Solo Exhibit, 2013
Adam Clayton Powell State Building, Harlem, 2021
Boricua College, Galla Show, 2018
Father Ryan Arts Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2014
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, 2014
Shelter Rock Art Gallery, 2014
Skylight Gallery, Contemporary Abstract Art ‘I Kan Do That’, 2014
Frank and Gertrude Kaiser Art Gallery, Molloy College, Long Island, Solo Exhibit, 2014
Manhattan Borough President Gallery, Solo Exhibit, 2013
Throughout his career, Ngawa has received several accolades, including the Charles Winslow Memorial Award of Excellence in Art (2015) and the Fulton Art Fair’s Jacob Lawrence and Ernest Crichlow Art Appreciation Award (2013).
His artworks are part of various collections, such as:
- Lorenzo Pace Collections, Brooklyn, New York
- Rich Anglin Collections, Brooklyn, New York
- Williams Savage Collections, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Project Hartwork Global Collections, Denver, Colorado
- Boricua College Collections, Manhattan, New York
- Kankeliba Gallery Collections, New York
Ngawa’s art continues to serve as a testament to his journey of searching, learning, and discovering the unknown, intertwining the past, present, and future into a cohesive narrative that celebrates cultural heritage and contemporary expression.
For more information and to view his work, visit his Instagram profile or Facebook page.