SAÏDOU DICKO was born in Burkina Faso in 1979. A self-taught visual artist ( photographer, videographer, installer and painter). He lives and works in Paris.
Shadows have always inspired Saïdou Dicko’s work. When he was a child, the shadows pushed him to draw. Whilst he was a shepherd, he used to trace the outlines of the bushes, animals and rivers he met. The cross on top of the head of his characters also echo his childhood. That is a wink to the pattern of one fabric from the Peulh tradition. For him, it is a way to pay a tribute to beauty and to represent the humanity of his characters. To this extent, he turns them into shadows. In his series of painted photographs, The Shadowed People – unique pieces – a combination of different clichés, he covers the subject with black paint. In that way, the beings give their place to their shadow, providing a universal scope to the work.
The life experiences of Saïdou Dicko, between Paris and Burkina Faso, his native culture and his travels, leave their mark on his work with poetry as well as mystery. Since then, his work has been presented at many international events (biennials, international fairs, exhibitions).
Photographers from Africa and its diaspora are represented by Afrikaris (Paris) showing contemporary portraiture by Saïdou Dicko, Nana Yaw Oduro, ‘Àsìkò and Marc Posso.
Photos: Courtesy of Photo London 2022
Source: Afrikaris (Paris)
https://afikaris.com/collections/saidou-dicko
This year’s Photo London — coming hot on the heels of September 2021’s sixth edition, the world’s first international photography fair in almost two years — brings together exhibitors from across the globe and presents a thrilling range of photography in all its forms, ranging from images from the dawn of photography to new pieces that redefine of the medium. Fair Founders Michael Benson and Fariba Farshad comment:
‘Photo London’s mission has always been to show the best of the past, present and future of photography. This edition is no exception, presenting exhibitors and artists whose work not only delights and surprises, but in many cases also challenges assumptions about what photography can be. Invention is at the core of photography’s DNA and with it the ability to reach beyond its own moment — whether it is the Countess de Castiglione sitting down to make a series of ground-breaking self-portraits in 1856, the experimentations of photographers from the Kharkiv School in Ukraine in the 1970s to develop a personal aesthetics in defiance of the codes of social realism, or indeed the work of this year’s Master of Photography Nick Knight, whose photographic practice encompasses sculpture and painting and for whom the purpose of photography is “to show the world not just who we are, but who we want to be.”’
Many important collectors and institutions came to London for the first time in nearly three years. We welcomed visits from museum groups and individual representatives, including from:
- Tate (London)
- Victoria and Albert Museum (London)
- Jeu de Paume (Paris)
- Palais de Tokyo (Paris)
- Centre Pompidou (Paris)
- MoMA (New York)
- MFA (Houston)
- MAMCO (Geneva)
- MEP (Paris)
- Serpentine Galleries (London)
- Kunstforum (Darmstadt)
- Photo Elysee (Lausanne)
- Asymmetry Art Foundation (London)
- TANK Shanghai
- Chisenhale Gallery (London)
- FOAM (Amsterdam)
- Tai Kwun (Hong Kong)
- Troy House Art Foundation
Source and dates:
Photo London: 12–15 May 2022, Somerset House
Photo London Digital: 11–29 May 2022, photolondon.org
https://photolondon.org/