Nyaba Léon Ouedraogo | SACRED: HUMAN, ANIMAL AND PLANT

Ouedraogo’s photographic work explores the sacred as a living space shaped by cultural, ecological and spiritual tensions.

In the series *THE SACRED: HUMAN, ANIMAL AND PLANT*, he explores how humans, animals and plants coexist in habitats where traditional practices remain closely linked to the present. The sacred crocodile pond of Bazoulé serves as a starting point for questioning the fragile balance between cultural heritage and ecological change.

Organic forms, textures reminiscent of skin or earth, and movements springing from the imagination are not merely aesthetic choices. They reveal a multi-layered relationship with a place where cultural rituals, spiritual beliefs and natural ecosystems continue to sustain one another. The sacred crocodile, a traditional protective figure, becomes a symbolic barometer of nature’s health. It serves as a reminder that the sacred can only endure if the environment that sustains it remains intact.

Nyaba Léon Ouedraogo was born in 1978 in Bouyounou, Burkina Faso. He belongs to a new generation of African photographers who engage with the problems and living conditions of their contemporaries at the crossroads of Africa. He sees himself as a griot, telling the stories of a changing Africa.

His images explore the political, economic, sociological and environmental challenges facing the African continent, particularly its western region.

Ouedraogo has been awarded several prizes, including the European Union Prize at the 9th Rencontres de la Photographie in Bamako in 2011. He was a finalist for the Prix Pictet in 2010 and was nominated a second time in 2016. He was a recipient of the ‘Résidences photographiques du musée du Quai Branly’ in 2013 and received creative support from the Institut Français de Ouagadougou. Together with Christophe Person, he is a co-founder of BISO (Biennale Internationale de Sculpture de Ouagadougou).

• The exhibition is taking place as part of AFRIKAMERA – Contemporary Cinema from Africa from 9 to 15 November 2026.

Tuesday, 10 November 26, 6.00 pm

Opening & Artist Talk