The Mille Arts Foundation is delighted to present the opportunity to see a selection of work by revered contemporary African artist Moussa Tine this winter, in a special charity exhibition at Tafeta in London from December 4-16, 2014. In light of the Ebola outbreak, a percentage of the proceeds from the exhibition will go to the Red Cross Ebola Outbreak Appeal.

From humble beginnings, Moussa Tine’s work now commands a global audience. His large scale paintings of multiple figures and symbolic shapes and textures transcend culture, geography and social strata, to capture all onlookers imagination. This results in inimitable art works that never fail to intrigue and delight.

Mille Arts Foundation Director, Mablé Agbodan, said: “We are honoured to be able to present such famed, original works by Moussa Tine in London. This is the first time the artist has exhibited in the UK, yet demand for his work comes from around the world and one look at his paintings tells you why. The fact that we are donating to the Red Cross Ebola Outbreak Appeal, makes this exhibition even more topical and poignant.”

Tine uses acrylics to create earthy African landscape tones, but juxtaposes the natural browns and sand colourings with hints of bright colour, which, combined with figural shapes and contours, adds to the attraction of the overall visual effect.

One can either choose to acknowledge the subtext and underlying narrative/social commentary in his paintings, for example on themes such as social structure, or political constraints, or simply enjoy the shapes, textures, colours and overall impact of these extraordinary paintings.

Moussa Tine’s artistic skills found an outlet at a young age and purely by chance. Having moved to Dakar as a bus conductor on the city’s famed ‘car rapide’ (Fast Car), he painted significant scenes and motifs from everyday life, including horses, religious leaders and nature on the side of the transport vehicles - an activity he practiced for over 20 years. The paintings were so well executed and so vibrant, they caught the public’s attention and led to major commissions on all public transport. Soon he was painting eagles, flowers and other designs on the outsides of the vehicles, that make them so famously picturesque to this day. These commissions led to more widespread commissions for stand-alone art works for collectors and art lovers across Africa.

The art of Moussa Tine, as shown in this series of works, demonstrates how the artist is not satisfied to simply create a work of art for the sake of it. He has a running theme and continuous narrative that establishes a relationship, or an unseen ‘thread’ between them all. Although there are distinct differences from one series to another, similarities and trademark patterns appear that render his works matchless.