SAÏDOU DICKO
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).
His works received several prizes: Prix Blachère in 2006 in Dakar Biennale, Prix de la francophonie at African photography encounter of Bamako in 2007, Fondation Thamgidi prize in 2008 in Dakar and the Off prize of European Union. In 2012, he co-founded the collective «Rendez-Vous of Artists» which is a nomad platform where artists of all kinds: curators, gallerists, art lovers, cultural journalists, exchange. These exchanges sometimes lead to exhibition projects. Since 2013, he also works as a curator (3rd International Biennial of Casablanca) and scenographer mostly in Morocco with Arkane Africa.
MoreAWARDED PRICES
2016
Award winner of Wings of Africa from Royal Air Maroc. Design of a Boeing 737 in collaboration with the artist Evans Mbugua
2014
International selection at the 3rd edition of the Addis Foto Fest 2014, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia
International selection at the 6th edition of the ARTE video Night, Paris, France
International selection at the 2nd edition of the Casablanca Biennale, Casablanca, Morocco
International selection at the Gwanza Month of photography, Moonwalking, Harare, Zimbabwe
2012
International festival of Film Black of Montréal, projection the 21th of september of the video Gariibu during the program l’Afrique en mouvement, Montréal, Canada
1st edition of the Casablanca Biennale, exhibition at Arctua Art Space Regards Africains Croisés, Casablanca, Morocco
2009
International selection at the 8th African Biennale of Photography, les Rencontres de Bamako 9, Bamako, Mali
2008
Award of the public, European Union, 8th Dakar Biennale, National Gallery, Dakar, Senegal
Laureat of the Thamgidi Foundation, 8th Dakar Biennale of Dakar, National Gallery, Senegal
International selection at the 8th edition of the Dakar Biennale, Dak’Art 08. award of the Thamgidi foundation for a video installation made with the artist Piniang
2007
Award of the Francophonie : Best Francophone photographer, Bamako meetings
2006
Award of the Blachère Foundation, 7th Dakar Biennale
SOLO SHOWS
2021
Shadowed People, Jackson Fine Art, Atlanta, United States of America
2018
Photo Folies at the Menuiserie, Rodez, France
The Shadowed People, ARTCO Gallery, Aachen, Germany
2016
Trans-Humance, Usanii space, Nevers, France
2014
Le Voleur d’ombres, French institute of Roma, Roma, Italy
2013
Art Brunch, Green Flowers Art Gallery, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
2012
Der Schattendieb, ARTCO Gallery, Herzogenrath, Germany
2009
French Alliance of Mbabane, Mbabane, Swaziland
French-Mozambican cultural center, Maputo, Mozambique
2008
Français Georges Méliès cultural center, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
OFF Dak’Art 08, French Institute, Dakar, Sénégal
2007
Le voleur d’ombres, Flemish theater KVS, Bruxelles, Belgium
Vues Suspendues Gallery, Pont en Royans, France.
2006
Chab Gallery, Bamako, Mali
Quinzaine africaine, La Vénerie Espace Delvaux Gallery, Bruxelles, Belgium
OFF Dak’Art 06, French Institut, Dakar, Sénégal
GROUP SHOWS
2021
La Poésie du Lien, AFIKARIS Gallery, Paris, France
Zone Franche, Institute of Islamic Cultures, Paris, France
1-54 New York, Online Art Fair, Afikaris Gallery
Art Paris Art Fair, Afikaris Gallery, Paris, France
2020
Your Shadows, Afikaris Gallery, Paris, France
2019
1-54 London Art Fair, Loft Gallery, London, United Kingdom
Investec Cape Town, ARTCO Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
2018
AKAA Art Fair, ARTCO Gallery, Paris, France
FNB Joburg Art Fair, ARTCO Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
Traversées photographiques africaines, Art Z Gallery, Paris, France
2017
UTOCORPIS les Corps Utopiques, Paris, France
Fragile Beauty, Nelly Wandji Gallery, Paris, France
Pool Art Fair Guadeloupe, Bandjoun Station, Guadeloupe, France.
Art Z Gallery, Paris, France.
Art Paris, Cécile Fakhoury Gallery, Paris, France
Itinéraires, Art Z Gallery, Paris, France
2016
Dakar-Martigny, Martigny, Switzerland
AKAA Art Fair, Cape and Cape, Paris, France.
Le Sel sur la Mangue, La lune en Parachute, Epinal, France.
The Expanded Subject : New Perspectives In Photographic Portraiture From Africa, Wallach Art Gallery, Columbia University, New-York, United States of America
Cartes et identités, Art-Z Gallery, Paris, France
Printemps des photographes, Sète, France
Cape Town Art Fair, ARTCO Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
2015
L’Afrique a du génie, Fondation Attijariwafa bank, Casablanca, Morocco
We, c’est moi, Goldenberg Gallery, Paris, France
Arkane Afrika, Cathédrale du Sacré Cœur, Casablanca, Morocco
Cape Town Art Fair avec la ARTCO Gallery, Cape Town / Afrique du Sud
L’Afrique a du génie, Africa Development Forum, Casablanca, Morocco
2014
Still Fighting Ignorance & Intellectual Perfidy, Ben Uri Gallery and Museum London, United Kingdom, Marrakech Biennale, Morocco
Joburg Art Fair, ARTCO Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
Group Show, Cécile Fakhoury Gallery, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
One Game – Everywhere, ARTCO Gallery, Aachen, Germany
Kölner Liste, ARTCO Gallery, Cologne, Germany
2013
Art meetings of Africa-Middle East, Casablanca, Morocco
Mes Amours, Bandjoun Station, Bandjoun, Cameroon
3rd edition of BURKIN’ARTS festival, Tôtout’arts, Villeneuve les Avignon, France
Contemporary AFRICA, ARTCO Gallery, Aachen, Germany
Green Flowers Art Gallery, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
Culture Festival The Wave, Wavy Banners, Humlum, Danemark
Kunsthalle São Paulo, Still Fighting Ignorance & Intellectual Perfidy, São Paulo, Brasil
Gariibu, during the program "l’Afrique en Mouvement", DAïMON center, Gatineau, Canada
2012
Still Fighting Ignorance & Intellectual Perfidy, Multiple places around the world
Gariibu, during "l’Afrique en Mouvement", 9th edition of Kunstvlaai : Festival of Independents, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Joburg Art Fair, ARTCO Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
Aus Africa, ARTCO Gallery and Frank Schlag et cie, Essen, Germany
2011
Fronteiras, encontro de fotografia de Bamako, Fondation Calouste Gulbenkian, Paris, France
Exhibition center Fernan Gomez, Madrid, Spain
Interpretations of Africa Football Art and Design, London Design Museum, London, United Kingdom
Regards sur cours, 8th edition, Goree, Senegal
3th édition of the Ben Penc Biennale, another vision of Africa, Cuisine, Les Ateliers du Vau, Martigné – Briand, France
2010
Foto Museum, Antwerp, Belgium
African Photography Meeting of Bamako, Cape Town, South Africa
Cultural Center Cajastur Palacio Revillagigedo, Gijón, Spain
Johannesburg Art Gallery, African Photography Meeting of Bamako 2009, Johannesburg, South Africa
l’Art Contemporain d’Afrique, Collégiale Saint André of Chartres, Chartres, France
Gallery Momo, Johannesburg, South Africa
Bamako in Toronto, Gladstone Hotel, Autograph ABP, Toronto, Canada
Mosaïque de photos, Collégiale Saint André de Chartres, Chartres, France
2009
8th African Photography Meeting of Bamako, Bamako, Mali
2nd Contemporary Art Biennale of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
La porte étroite, AfriqueAvenir Gallery and Dak’Art, Berlin, Germany
2008
Africa Now, World Bank, Washington, United States of America
2007
7th Bamako Photography Meetings, Bamako, Mali
Curating exhibitions and residencies
2017
Curator and scenographer with the association Arkane Africa for the heritage days, Aït Ben Haddou, Morocco
2016
Curator Africa and scenographer for the Cop 22 with the association Arkane Africa, Marrakech, Morocco
Curator Africa for the Casablanca Biennale, Morocco
Curator Africa with the association Arkane Africa for the 19th African Film Festival of Khouribga, Morocco
Curator Africa and Scenographer for residence and exhibition with the association Arkane Africa, Casablanca, Morocco
Curator Africa of ART RIMAL 2nd edition in Oujda, Morocco
2014
Curator of the exhibition Télégramme with the artists collectif "Rendez-Vous d’Artistes", Pierrefitte sur Seine, France
2012
Co-founder of "Rendez-Vous d’Artistes"
WHAT DOES INSPIRE YOU THE MOST IN YOUR WORK?
Childhood is a great source of inspiration for me. I have the opportunity to travel, which ables me to mix different elements I pick up from all over the world.
My drawings also talk a lot about plastic that we see nowadays everywhere whatever the country we are in.
What I am interested in is the way that we can cleverly use plastic and how we can optimize its use. I don’t want to criticize this material. I think that not everything is black or white and this is about knowing how to reasonably use plastic. It is not about banning plastic and, instead, cut trees to make cardboard.
Some of my artworks feature secondary raw material. Ecology is particularly important in my work. In my country, we use to say “nature is aging” as we would say for men. Nature melts, dries, and sometimes resources are not sufficient.
WHAT ARE YOUR UPCOMING PROJECTS?
Drawings lead me to explore other horizons and make me think about the possibilities offered to me and that I did not explore yet.
To stay in the theme of sustainability and ecology, I would like to mix fabrics and organic cotton from Burkina Faso with non-degradable plastic that I find in the street. The fabrics I use are traditionally made in Burkina Faso as well as Mali. They are handmade and embody both traditions and the concept of biodegradability.
