Gallery : The Cry of a Continent

The Cry, 1987
ink wash on paper, 45x37 cm,
private collection, Paris.

In his series of 'Cries', Iba Ndiaye, at the height of his expression, reaches beyond everything he knows about art. These crude drawings, executed in a vigorous oil wash, no longer belong to any particular tradition. Instead, they transcend comparison by going directly to the heart of all traditions, expressing the rebellion of mankind, who calls on the gods (that is to say, himself) to save him, or to avenge him.

Gilles Plazy, extract from the preface of the catalogue of the exhibition "The Cry of a Continent", held at the Maison de la Culture in Bobigny, France, in 1980.
Soweto, 1983,
oil on canvas, 195x115 cm,
Mandela museum, Republic of South Africa.