MY HISTORY

Born in 1984 in Mauritania, Saleh Lo is naturally predisposed from childhood to figurative art, which he experiments in various ways. A self-taught artist, he has refined his hyperrealistic techniques by studying the works of other artists and following tutorials on Youtube. After three solo exhibitions in Mauritania, Saleh Lo turned to the outside world, and participated in the residency of the 2nd session of Raw Material Company "Angazi but I am sure" from April to May 2017 in Dakar, Senegal. This residency questioned forms of learning through experimental research and studies of artistic and curatorial practice and was directed by Chimurenga from Cape Town. Between August and November 2017, Saleh Lo participated in the Cross Culture Programme of IFA (Institute for Foreign Affairs of the German Foreign Office) in Berlin. In Schlesische 27, a cultural centre specialising in art education for young people, he carried out his internship which focused on the project Bildungsmanufaktur, which aimed to strengthen the integration of migrants through art. Upon his return to Mauritania, Saleh Lo was appointed national representative of the former participants of the programme. From December 2017 to February 2018, Saleh Lo participated in a residency at Clark House Initiative in Mumbai, India, under the supervision of Sumesh Sharma. He participated in two exhibitions. The first "Battling to normalize freedom" was curated by Marie Helene Pereira from Dakar, the second exhibition on homelessness showed the works produced during the residency. Saleh Lo was invited by the curator Cosmin Costinas to participate in the 13th Dakar Biennale in May 2018. He presented two series, one on the water shortage in the working class neighbourhoods of Nouakchott and the other on crossbreeding. From January to March 2019, Saleh Lo was in residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, which he concluded with an Open Studio presenting his work on migrants. In January 2020, IFA confirmed his mandate as CCP Country Representative in Mauritania for the next three years. I am most keen on creating a sustainable local art scene in Mauritania due to the scarcity of art spaces.  In 2021, in collaboration with Photographer Malika Diagana, we opened a cultural space called “D’art”, where we are able to provide an exhibition and performance space along with occasional training and workshops. we aim to create a local accessible cultural environment that encourages youth to experiment with different art formats. I am particularly interested in the process of acculturation and change generated by migration and finding different ways to produce local work with local means.