Saïdou Dicko’s work is deeply personal, drawing inspiration from his home in West Africa, Burkina Faso, incorporating textiles and the rich tradition of African studio photography. Each of Dicko’s works is a unique object, no two are the same. On view in the gallery will be two, new bodies of work: vibrant photographs with digital textile backgrounds from the Shadowed people, and a brand-new series entitled Fragile.

In Fragile, Dicko reveals his hand as a painter, enveloping his subject with washes of color, floral vines and tendrils, and along the border has adhered ‘fragile tape’ used in transporting precious objects and works of art — perhaps a comment on the fragility of the environment, human life, or childhood. For the Shadowed people, Dicko hand-paints each subject thereby creating a silhouetted form; the backgrounds are vivid patterns and colors from Fulani cloth—an homage to the resilience of traditional West African craftsmanship in the face of global industrialization.

Dicko is both an artist and humanitarian: 50% of his sales benefit the artist’s non-profit organization, Nafoore Cellal, which has built a health center, pharmacy, and organic vegetable garden in a pastoral zone in Burkina Faso. Dicko has been exhibited in numerous international exhibitions and been honored with significant photography prizes in Europe and Africa. He lives and works in both Burkina Faso and Paris. This is his second solo exhibition with the gallery.