Oumar Ball, the Mauritanian sculptor and painter who was awarded First Prize by the BISO 2021 jury, has made wire the backbone of his artistic identity. In his hands, this metal becomes as supple as a cotton thread, enabling him to assemble corrugated iron and recycled metal, in his sculptures as well as on his canvases. All of his work is inspired by the banks of the Fouta Tooro river, which separates Senegal and Mauritania, and bears witness to the cohabitation between human activities, fauna and flora. Having witnessed the metamorphosis of life since childhood, Oumar Ball combines his agility with iron and his fascination for animals, particularly birds, to create an amazingly vital bestiary.