Created By
Saleh Lô
Oil and acrylic on canvas
Curator
Luke Chapman
Saleh Lô's "Invisible" transcends mere representation to serve as a poignant testament to the resilience and agency of the marginalized Talibé community. Through a masterful blend of oil and acrylic, the artist imbues the portrait with a tactile depth that invites viewers to contemplate not just the subject's presence, but the socio-political structures that perpetuate their invisibility. Lô's nuanced palette and intricate detailing compel us to confront our own complicity in systems of exploitation, challenging us to move beyond passive observation to active engagement with the ethical imperatives of our interconnected world.
The painting Invisible embodies a profound intersection of materiality, memory, and ethical portraiture that resonates across continents. This work extends the artist’s critical visual dialogue on the Talibé condition, drawing the viewer into a complex negotiation of visibility, agency, and global power dynamics. Rendered in oil and acrylic, the portrait engages the viewer in what could be described as “witnessing as praxis,” where the child subject emerges not as a passive victim but as an active co-author of testimony. The painting’s tactile surface and nuanced palette invite sustained contemplation, urging reflection on the socio-political structures that produce such enduring conditions of marginalization and exploitation.
Created By
Saleh Lô
200 x 180 cm | 79 x 71 in
2025
