Mo Ganji: African Wild Ass | Afrikanischer Wildesel | Equus africanus | No. 004 from work group 8/99

African Wild Ass | Afrikanischer Wildesel | Equus africanus

In a single, continuous line, Mo Ganji sketches the silhouette of the African wild ass — a humble, resilient creature adapted to the harsh, arid landscapes of northeastern Africa. That unbroken stroke is more than an outline: it speaks for endurance, survival, and fragile beauty in a world of extremes. For Ganji, the single line is philosophical — a return to essence — and here it becomes a tribute to a being whose entire existence hinges on minimal resources, resilience, and silence.

The subject, Equus africanus, survives today only in sparse, scattered populations in desert and semi-arid zones of the Horn of Africa — notably in parts of Eritrea, Ethiopia, and possibly Somalia.  Once widespread across North and Northeast Africa, its range has drastically shrunk. According to the IUCN Red List the species is listed as Critically Endangered (CR). Estimates suggest that only a few hundred individuals remain in the wild.

The threats to the African wild ass are manifold: hunting for meat and traditional medicine; persistent competition with domestic livestock for scarce forage and water; habitat degradation; and genetic dilution through interbreeding with domestic donkeys. Even slight disturbances — fewer watering holes or encroachment by livestock — can prove catastrophic in such fragile ecosystems.

By rendering this rare equid with a single, subtle line, Ganji invites the viewer to acknowledge its tenuous existence. The line becomes a metaphor: fragile yet unbroken, minimal yet full of life — much like the African wild ass itself, fighting to survive on the margins of deserts and memory. The artwork does not demand spectacle; instead it calls for empathy, awareness, and respect — a quiet reminder that survival is not always loud, but often fragile.