Maïmouna Guerresi is a photographer, sculptor, video and installation artist. Her work is influenced by the conceptual experimentation of Body Art in the 1970s. In 1991, Guerresi travelled to various Muslim African countries and converted to Islam, which marked the direction of her work ethic. Drawn to the mystical philosophies of Islamic Sufism, she adopted the name ‘Maïmouna’ (meaning ‘blessed by Allah’) and turned her focus towards multicultural symbolism and feminine spirituality. In 1999, Guerresi presented her first set of white resin sculptures, Bui Bui (veiled women sitting in a circle), which were accompanied by her video piece The Virgin of the Rocks. Various shows associated with this subject followed in Italy, Spain, Africa, and the US.

Guerresi’s works have been widely collected and exhibited, such as at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, where she presented her large-scale sculpture Light Signs. For over twenty years, Guerresi’s work has been concerned with female empowerment and the uniting of individuals and cultures to appreciate a shared humanity, beyond psychological, cultural and political borders.