Abdoulaye SOW : From Healing to Art: “Nature is our Teacher.”

The art of Abdoulaye SOW is both an ode to nature and a tribute to ancestral knowledge. Using pigments extracted from the Mbant Maré plant, a natural remedy that once healed him, SOW delves into the essence of human existence, urging us to reconnect with the Earth as a vital source of wisdom. While deeply inspired by Mother Nature, the artist draws even greater influence from his own mother, whose presence and teachings have left a profound imprint on his artistic identity. A graduate of the École Nationale des Arts in Dakar (ENA), his work was showcased at the most recent edition of the Dakar Dak’Art OFF, the Biennale of Contemporary African Art. The cure lies in nature, he reminds us. We must embrace it, alongside spirituality, to reach a higher state of consciousness.   

Abdoulaye SOW

In this exclusive conversation, we meet Abdoulaye SOW following the successful completion of his latest residency with Thread. The Senegalese artist walks us through a body of work deeply rooted in nature and quiet introspection.


Ngalula MAFWATA : How did you discover your artistic language? Were there any experiences or people who awakened your desire to create ?

Abdoulaye SOW : I discovered my artistic language through a deeply personal and significant experience linked to my childhood. From a very young age, I frequently suffered from malaria, which severely affected my health, to the point that I was hospitalized every year just before the start of the school year. My mother, in her wisdom and love, once turned to a natural remedy made from Cassia Occidentalis, a medicinal plant locally known as “Mbant Maré.” This remedy had a transformative effect on my health and marked a turning point in my life. This healing through plants, passed down from mother to son, awakened in me the desire to understand, value, and transmit this knowledge through art. My artistic language was therefore born at the crossroads of family memory, experienced suffering, and regained resilience. It gradually took shape around a commitment: to create works that connect art with public health, nature, and ancestral African knowledge.

I pay tribute to my mother (may she rest in peace, may the earth lie gently on her) through every creation. She is, for me, the first source of inspiration—the first mediator between nature and healing, and the first everyday woman artist who passed on to me a profoundly human, rooted, and restorative vision of the world.


Ngalula MAFWATA : Your practice maintains a strong connection with matter, particularly with the earth. What does the earth represent to you, and how is it integrated into your creative process ?

Abdoulaye SOW: Earth holds a powerful symbolic place in my approach, even though I don’t use it directly in my works. I don’t work with soil as a raw artistic material, but I approach it through what it produces: natural pigments, organic materials derived from the medicinal plant Cassia Occidentalis — “Mbant Maré.” It is the earth that nourishes this plant, which is essential to my work. I grow it using soilless methods, allowing me to explore a dialogue between nature, ancestral knowledge, and contemporary agricultural technologies.

In this sense, earth is present in my process in an indirect but fundamental way. It is a source of life, healing, and memory. It is not used as a plastic material, but rather as the nourishing matrix of my artistic and social commitment. Every capsule I integrate into my works contains a trace of this invisible relationship with the earth — through the plant, the seeds, the leaves, or the extracts. In this way, the earth becomes a symbolic, almost spiritual element in my artistic language.

Ngalula MAFWATA : Could you tell us more about the techniques you use? How do forms, textures, and messages interact within your work ?

Abdoulaye SOW : I mainly use natural pigments, acrylic paint, and elements derived from Mbant Maré, such as leaves, seeds, or dried extracts. These materials are sometimes enclosed in transparent capsules that resemble pharmaceutical pills, symbolizing a different kind of healing — one rooted in medicinal plants. The textures, natural colors, and organic materials allow me to convey messages related to healing, memory, and nature. I strive to strike a balance between the free energy of abstraction and details that draw attention to the plant and its significance. Each piece functions like a visual message — a way to invite reflection on traditional medicine and our connection to the natural world.

Abdoulaye SOW

Ngalula MAFWATA : Some of your works suggest a deep connection to spirituality and the search for the inner self. Could you tell us more about that?

Abdoulaye SOW : Yes, Alhamdulillah! Spirituality holds a central place in my life and in my artistic approach. It has helped me through very difficult times—often invisible to the outside world but deeply destructive. Thanks to my faith and inner certainty, I was able to protect myself from certain psychological, physical, moral, and mental violence inflicted by cowardly destroyers — men from hell. Trained and equipped with technology to protect, they nonetheless chose, out of cowardice, to twist their mission into something vile. I myself was a victim of these unjust situations, invasions of privacy, and malicious behavior. From unfair situations, violations of my privacy, and malicious behaviors of which I was personally a victim. In this context, art became a refuge, a tool of inner resistance, and a path toward peace. Through creation, I was able to reconnect with myself, recentre, and transform pain into something luminous.

My work often speaks of healing, balance, and inner light because I know what it’s like to come close to losing yourself, to be attacked in your intimacy or dignity. Spirituality gives me a quiet strength. It guides me, uplifts me, and allows me to create from a place of peace, despite everything. It is this energy, this faith in life and in divine justice that I try to convey through my work.

My work often speaks of healing, balance, and inner light because I know what it’s like to come close to losing yourself, to be attacked in your intimacy or dignity. Spirituality gives me a quiet strength.
— Abdoulaye SOW

Mères, natural pigments on canvas, 70 × 120 cm ×2, Abdoulaye SOW, 2025

Ngalula MAFWATA : You often speak about positive attraction, inner transformation, and personal growth. How do these principles nourish your artistic approach?

Abdoulaye SOW : When I began my artistic career, I started by exploring the theme of human resilience. For a very long time, I’ve gone through difficult situations. But I refuse to see myself as a victim : I don’t like that posture. In the face of hardship, I realised I had two choices: either I allowed these horrors to take root in my body and mind, risking becoming a source of aggression or even violence myself… or I chose another path. A more demanding, but much brighter one. I took the time to reflect deeply on who I am — my values, my principles, my origins. And I chose a positive interpretation. Instead of remaining trapped in my pain, I learned to detach from it. Mentally, I step outside my immediate environment, I rise above, I visualize my future — my future family, my projects, a world of peace, joy, love, and solidarity.

Our time on Earth is fleeting. I want to use art as a tool for inner transformation and positive projection. In my work, I try to convey this energy — an energy of hope, renewal, and vision. I work with natural materials, vibrant colours, and symbols that awaken inner strength. In this way, art becomes a means to heal, to grow, to dream — despite the obstacles.

Ngalula MAFWATA : You recently presented works that highlight the act of healing and self-care—particularly Mères. Could you tell us more about that ?

Abdoulaye SOW : Yes, the work Mères is very important to me. It pays tribute to those women who, often in the shadows, care for others tirelessly. I’m thinking especially of my own mother (may she rest in peace), who played a central role in my healing thanks to a natural remedy called Mbant Maré. This piece speaks to the quiet strength of women, their devotion, and their essential role in transmitting knowledge related to health and healing. Through it, I wanted to honour all mothers—the everyday healers—those who care with their hands, their plants, and their love.

More broadly, this series of works explores our connection to nature, to care, to memory, and to the body. I want to show that healing doesn’t only come through modern medicine, but also through traditions, emotions, and the energy passed on through simple gestures. In that sense, the act of caring becomes a spiritual, human, and artistic act. It opens a space for recognition, peace, and transformation.

My goal is to show that nature holds answers and that it’s crucial to revalue our botanical heritage. Each artwork becomes an act of remembrance, of recognition, and a call to rethink our relationship with healing, with the earth, and with our roots.
— Abdoulaye SOW

«Mbant Maré 2» Triptych 60 × 90 cm ×3, Natural pigments, acrylic, medicinal plant capsules on canvas, Abdoulaye SOW, 2025

«Mbant Maré 1» Diptych 40 × 60 cm ×2, Natural pigments, acrylic, medicinal plant capsules on canvas, Abdoulaye SOW, 2025

Ngalula MAFWATA : You work with Cassia Occidentalis, a plant linked to the fight against malaria. How did this plant become part of your research, and what do you seek to convey through it ?

Abdoulaye SOW : Cassia Occidentalis, which we call Mbant Maré in my region, has been part of my life since childhood. It’s the plant that helped cure me of malaria — a disease I used to contract every year. My mother used it to heal me when conventional medicine was no longer enough. That experience marked a turning point in my life. As an artist, I wanted to pay tribute to it — but also to spark a broader conversation about the importance of African medicinal plants. So I began integrating it into my artistic work, not merely as an aesthetic element, but as a living material, full of meaning.

Through this plant, I speak of healing, the transmission of ancestral knowledge, resilience, and also health autonomy for African communities. My goal is to show that nature holds answers and that it's crucial to revalue our botanical heritage. Each artwork becomes an act of remembrance, of recognition, and a call to rethink our relationship with healing, with the earth, and with our roots.

Abdoulaye SOW

Instead of remaining trapped in my pain, I learned to detach from it. Mentally, I step outside my immediate environment, I rise above, I visualise my future, my future family, my projects, a world of peace, joy, love, and solidarity.Our time on Earth is fleeting. I want to use art as a tool for inner transformation and positive projection. In my work, I try to convey this energy , an energy of hope, renewal, and vision.
— Abdoulaye SOW

Ngalula MAFWATA : What have you learned about nature and health through your artistic work? And what should we learn collectively ?

Abdoulaye SOW: Through my artistic practice, I’ve learned that nature is a source of healing, wisdom, and truth. It doesn’t just provide plants or remedies—it teaches us patience, balance, and respect for the rhythm of life. By working with natural elements like Mbant Maré, I came to understand that health doesn’t rely solely on hospitals or modern medicine. It also comes from our connection to living things, to our traditions, to what we eat, and to the way we think and live in the world. Collectively, I believe we need to relearn how to listen to nature, to trust ancestral knowledge, and to value local practices. This isn’t about rejecting modern medicine, but about restoring balance. Art can play an important role in raising awareness : it opens eyes, touches hearts, and transmits knowledge in a different way. My hope is that, through my work, each person might begin to ask questions, reconnect with what truly matters, and contribute to a healthier and more compassionate future.

Ngalula MAFWATA : What values do you wish to highlight through your artistic journey?

Abdoulaye SOW : Through my art, I seek to highlight deep values such as resilience, transmission, respect for nature, and hope. I also want to honor African heritage and ancestral knowledge, especially those related to natural healing. These forms of knowledge have often been overlooked, yet they carry profound wisdom. My work also speaks of love — love of self, of family, of life, and of humanity. I believe that art can heal, awaken consciousness, and bring people together around simple but essential values: peace, solidarity, respect for others, and respect for our environment.

In short, my artistic quest is driven by a desire to create meaning, to inspire, and to contribute to a more just, balanced, and conscious world.

Ngalula MAFWATA : What are your current areas of study ?

Abdoulaye SOW : At the moment, I’m continuing to deepen my research around the medicinal plant Cassia Occidentalis, particularly its traditional uses, therapeutic properties, and symbolic meanings in various African cultures. I’m also interested in how art can contribute to public health issues — especially by raising awareness about natural remedies and helping to revalue forgotten knowledge. At the same time, I’m exploring how to combine scientific elements (such as soilless cultivation and the observation of plants’ active compounds) with an artistic and symbolic approach. I’m also working on new forms of installations that incorporate capsules, living materials, and sensory elements to create an immersive experience centered on healing, memory, and care.

My goal is to continue evolving my artistic language while maintaining a strong connection between art, nature, and social commitment.

Find out more about Abdoulaye SOW on his personal spaces

Ngalula MAFWATA

Ngalula MAFWATA is the founder of Mayì-Arts.

https://www.mayiarts.com
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