Mahjoub Ben Bella (Algerian, b. 1946)

Ben Bella's compositions are characterized by strong colour and repeated application of sign-like marks which recall script. Colours are concentrated into forms, filled with talismanic script. The symbols are based on Arabic calligraphy, blended with the colours of Western Abstract Expressionism. Ben Bella's signs and symbols have discarded their literal meaning altogether, retaining only pictorial forms. His densely populated works make equal sense in both a European and an Arab context.