Born in 1977, Amy Sow is a self-taught Mauritanian painter. She uses her status as an independent artist to draw attention to the social condition of women and children in Africa and beyond. Oscillating between abstraction and figuration, the works presented here reflect on the global health crisis and question restrictions on freedom, whether individual or, in this case, collective.

With less than 100 artists in Mauritania, Sow believes that young people should be encouraged to take up art. “Through art we can change a lot of things”, she said. Amy Sow may be one of only a few artists in Mauritania, but by using her work to creatively advocate for the rights of women and children, she is striving to ultimately paint a brighter future for young people in her country.