Last Calligraphers of Mali Show at documenta 14

At documenta 14, two Malian artists revive West African calligraphy traditions. Boubacar Sadek from Timbuktu and Mamary Diallo from Bamako exhibit at the Gennadius Library as part of the Learning from Timbuktu project curated by Igo Diarra, alongside Anboudalaye Ndoye, Abdou Ouologuem, and Seydou Camara. Sadek copies 15th- and 16th-century manuscripts, continuing a craft passed from his uncle, now teaching five- and six-year-olds to preserve a technique at risk of extinction—he is effectively Mali's last master calligrapher. Diallo engraves salt slabs, reviving a tradition where caravan workers inscribed messages (often Quranic verses) that dissolved when the salt was used, an ephemeral art he hybridizes with painting. Today, with rebel actions making salt precious again, his work gains urgency. Sadek often paints on animal skins the motto: "Salt comes from the north, gold from the south, money from the white man's country, but the words of God, sacred things, beautiful stories we can only meet in Timbuktu." Their process-based approach is visible throughout Documenta.