Surging with kinetic energy and epic power, Djoliba (Riu de Sang) (Djoliba (River of Blood)) (2009) is a spectacular vision of the Niger River by Miquel Barceló. Named for a town in the Koulikoro region of Mali, it reflects Barceló’s deep creative connection to the country, which he visits annually. The same year it was painted, Barceló included this work in his exhibition for the Spanish Pavilion at the 53rd Venice Biennale.

The Catalan painter had first explored Mali in 1988, and three years later voyaged 1500km along the Niger River, travelling with his friend in a traditional dugout canoe. On coming home to Mallorca, he created a series of huge mixed-media compositions based on the life of the river, a theme which has occupied him ever since.

Spanning over 2.5 metres across, Djoliba (Riu de Sang) heaves with the river’s torrential vigour. Barceló’s baroque brushwork brings the water to vivid, liquid life. A wash of white pigment meanders across the pale blue canvas, creating an immersive sense of distance and depth. Floating delicately across the surface, graceful canoes shimmer like mirages above their own watery reflections.

Barceló has long been concerned with the political upheavals and hardships of life in Mali; these fragile boats, ferrying their passengers over vast expanses, speak of the precarious passage of fears, hopes and fortunes in a world of turmoil. The vessels can also be seen to reflect Barceló’s artistic journey, which has taken him from Mallorca to Mali and back in search of the elemental forces of art and life. Acutely responsive to his surroundings, in Djoliba (Riu de Sang) the artist displays all the visionary, sunbaked material intensity that has made him one of the most celebrated painters of our time.
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