Panel c. 1980s

Malado Diarra created this textile panel, now housed at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, using woven material and dye. Immediately striking is the panel's ochre field, punctuated by horizontal dark bands and a central, vertically oriented grid. The composition is simple yet creates a powerful visual structure. The horizontal lines divide the space, suggesting a systematic organization. But the central grid introduces a counter-element, challenging this order with its own internal structure of small, densely packed squares. This play between horizontal and vertical, linear and gridded, evokes a dialogue between order and complexity, control and chaos. The texture of the woven material adds another layer, grounding the abstract design in the tangible world. Consider how the dark lines not only delineate space, but function as signs, directing the viewer's eye and structuring the reading of the panel. Diarra masterfully uses these formal elements to create a dynamic surface that destabilizes any singular interpretation. The panel remains open, inviting us to continually renegotiate its meanings.