There’s nothing I love more than vibrancy contrasted with striking boldness. Apparently, Facebook seems to know that too since a random Saïdou Dicko piece came in my feed as a suggested post and caught my admiration.
A quick dig through Artsy led me to the rest of this artist’s work, where the Burkina Faso native captures the everyday life and expression of women and children in silhouettes. Further reading of interviews and articles with Dicko explains how these are memories of his childhood growing up as a shepherd. Inspiration from the stark shadows and light in his homeland’s landscape created an opportunity to for viewers of his work to connect with the gestures, movements, and poses of his subjects.
I like the shadow because the shadow is neutral. The shadow is my childhood. The shadow has guided me in art. I like the imaginary side of the shadow.
Saïdou Dicko, global voices, august 2023
I love this emphasized and textured simplicity. The volume of color and pattern feels proportionate to the value of the humanity he is capturing. Its the frequency of feeling, innocence, imagination, introspection, joy, and play. It’s a beautiful memory with tangible warmth. Curious to see how it translates in person.
Within Dicko’s “The Shadowed People” series, he also makes critiques of the world. In La Terre tourne seulement pour les gens qui ont le droit de voyager (2018), which translates to “The earth turns only for people who have the right to travel,” he expands the focus from the shadow people’s natural existence to the shadow people’s unnatural environment.
Some of his pieces are made with mixed media of photography, paint, and collage. Others are illustrated in watercolor. As of this posting, you can find his work in private galleries in Portugal, Germany, India, France, and Atlanta, Georgia (USA).
Featured Photo Source: Instagram
