In The Rhizomes of Time, Ouattara explores the multiplicity of forms and temporalities that shape our world. He approaches space and time as living materials, where each being becomes a human map, a “radiography of souls.” His works transform everyday objects into flows and rhizomes, transcending their material nature to open a dialogue with the unseen. The exhibition spans reflections on the past, present, and future, observing traces and imprints as profound echoes of humanity.
Ouattara introduces a new series of sculptures titled Arborescences, which serve as a powerful metaphor for life. Made from wood and fabric, these works evoke the form of trees—symbols of grounding and growth—while exploring the tension between rootedness and aspiration, the visible and the invisible. This theme resonates with his other series, such as the embroidered drawings of Au fil du temps, where a meditative, craft-like process celebrates the sacredness of art, or the expressive paintings of Multiplicity, which embrace organic chaos to reveal the interconnectedness of life. His poetic drawings in Human Cartography reimagine collective identity, blending fragmented elements into a unified whole connected by the invisible threads of existence.
The exhibition also draws inspiration from the Batotous, an imaginary people created by Édouard Glissant in Sartorius. Ouattara revives epic narratives and buried mysteries populated by beings from other realms who bring new languages and codes. These figures, straddling the line between reality and fiction, evoke the richness of sacred spaces and the intangible whispers the modern world often forgets. Through his poetic works, the artist invites viewers to reconnect with these overlooked dimensions, where the breath of spirits and ancestral traditions continues to resonate.
