Inspirations

The initial inspiration for this pair of designs came from a contemporary artist named Baba Wagué Diakité [1]. An African American artist, Baba grew up in Mali before moving to the USA in 1984. The wide-ranging work of this male artist includes work with many different media, some of which are considered the exclusive domain of the female artists in Mali. For example, the use of Bogolan (mud) pigments [2] in textiles or paintings and ceramic art would both be considered to be female activities.

A 20-inch (51-cm) glazed ceramic dish named "The Family" was the piece of work that prompted this henna design. The dish is covered in a seething mass of lizards arranged in a random tessellation of different shapes and orientations. The piece of work, which is not reproduced here can be located in reference [1].