Anna Binta Diallo’s mural, Exhibition at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (Quebec, Canada).
Fluid fossils, which was created specifically for this public space, is composed of a series of silhouetted figures whose surfaces are a collage of patterns drawn from nature – fossils, stones, plant life, shells, water, clouds, snow, ice.
Anna Binta Diallo’s characters are inspired by found images that she traces by hand, evoking - explicitly or implicitly a process of fossilization and preservation. Each has its own history; together, they create a community of great diversity.
Time is at the heart of the mural: the time it takes to walk the length of the wall and reflect on the many moments that are represented; the anachronism of the silhouettes, from contemporary figures to those that seem to be antique sculptures or from Renaissance paintings. We are involved in a process of active looking as we move in close to view the details and step back to grasp the narrative arc.
Diallo invites us to reflect on our own place in history and, more importantly, of the responsibility we bear to protect and celebrate the fragile heritage that was transmitted to us. We are encouraged to recognize that the objects, gestures, and materials that we produce in unfettered quantities today will become fossils in the future. Diallo asks what traces will be left for future generations.
