SAIDOU DICKO

Presentation

SAÏDOU DICKO WAS BORN IN BURKINA FASO IN 1979. A SELF-TAUGHT ARTIST, HE LIVES AND WORKS IN PARIS. Shadows have always inspired Saïdou Dicko's work. When he was a child, shadows inspired him to draw. As a shepherd, he used to trace the outlines of bushes, animals and rivers he came across. The cross at the top of his figures' heads also echoes his childhood. It's a nod to a traditional Peulh cloth motif. For him, it's a way of paying tribute to the beauty and representing the humanity of his characters. To this extent, he transforms them into shadows. In his series of painted photographs, The Shadowed People - unique pieces - a combination of different shots, he covers the subject with black paint. In this way, people give their shadows a place of their own, giving the work a universal significance. Saïdou Dicko's life experiences, between Paris and Burkina Faso, his native culture and his travels, mark his work with poetry and mystery. His work has won several awards: Prix Blachère in 2006 at the Dakar Biennale, Prix de la Francophonie at the Rencontre Africaine de la Photographie in Bamako in 2007, Prix de la Fondation Thamgidi in 2008 in Dakar and the Prix Off from the European Union. His work has been shown worldwide at international art fairs, as well as in group and solo gallery exhibitions (AFIKARIS, ARTCO, Jackson Fine Art, Contour Gallery...). source : https://afikaris.com/fr/artists/49-saidou-dicko/