For his first solo exhibition in Côte d'Ivoire—a country that has become both a refuge and a cherished homeland—Alun Be, born in Senegal and having spent much of his childhood and teenage years in Abidjan, reveals a new dimension of his artistic journey.

Alun Be offers us here a glimpse into his boundless creativity through two new series. One series captures walls—ancient, prominent walls from places across the globe, bearing the weight of history. Only Alun seems to know how to decipher their secrets, much to our delight. Then, we have The Little Girl in the Red Dress. A child, often playing by the sea, she pulls traditional carved masks from her fishing line, or else they swirl above her head, suspended from the branches of an ancient baobab. In these works, Alun returns to the root of his renown series, Edification, with even greater nuance and contrast in the colors he so skillfully renders. This child, a bearer of the future yet bound to the past, lies the heart of the artist's reflection and his approach to the world and the inhabitants that populate it. His photographs invite us to experience profound, gentle serenity—a philosophical stroll through life and the world around us. And yet, so many messages find their way to us, subtly woven into each frame. In Alun Be’s words: “Art should have the power to awaken us, to shift our inner boundaries; without that, it is merely craftsmanship.” (Sylvain Sankale)