Abdoulaye Konaté creates abstract and figurative wall hangings using narrow strips of hand-dyed polished cotton. His work often addresses the ways in which societies and individuals have been affected by war; struggles for power; religion; globalisation; ecological change; and health crises. Influenced by nature and the cultural traditions of Mali and combining intimate references to his own life and country with a deep engagement with universal issues, Konaté has become one of the most prominent African artists of his generation. Konaté uses colour symbolically: red, the colour of blood and life, symbolises power and memories of tribal sacrifices and prophecies. Black signifies fertility and new possibilities. Amulets and charms called gris-gris, which were traditionally worn as necklaces, or rings, or stitched onto clothing and were used by the nomadic Tuareg-Berber peoples of Niger, Mali, and Algeria, to protect the wearers from danger, feature prominently in his work.