Saïdou Dicko is self-taught multimedia artist, born in Burkina Faso in 1979. Now based in Paris, he can trace his creative impulse back to his early years – as a shepherd in the Sahel region of Africa, where he started drawing by tracing the shadows of sheep in the sand. When he discovered photography in 2005, this childhood approach evolved into a profound artistic inquiry into light, absence and the politics of visibility. His work now features silhouetted figures set against vivid patterned backgrounds. “I like the shadow because the shadow is neutral,” Dicko explains. “The shadow is my childhood. The shadow has guided me in art. I like the imaginary side of the shadow.” His works are currently on view at The Photographers’ Gallery in London, in the aptly named Tracing Shadows exhibition.
Collage, painting and lens-based media collide in Tracing Shadows, as Dicko paints over his photographic prints. These multidisciplinary works are layered with cultural references. Their backdrops, often replete with flowers and leaves, reference Burkinabè textiles. There’s also a nod to the rich tradition of West African studio photography – think Sanlé Sory, Seydou Keïta or Malick Sidibé. Dicko’s subjects are primarily anonymous children, who wear traditional fabrics, beads and jewellery. As such, the idea of play and imagination is central: these are young people with their lives ahead of them, who look to the future whilst honouring symbols of ancestral memory and identity. Sharp-eyed viewers might spot the black and red cross painted overhead – a motif often seen in the traditional rugs of Dicko’s youth.
Dicko joins a growing number of contemporary image-makers from Africa and its diaspora who are inspired by the continent’s textile narratives, including Atong Atem, Hassan Hajjaj, Silvia Rosi, Thandiwe Muriu and Omar Victor Diop, to name a few. Art lovers might also be reminded of Kara Walker, best-known for her use of black cut-paper silhouettes. It’s exciting to see The Photographers’ Gallery foreground Dicko, a talent whose work bridges personal experience with wider cultural histories. In his hands, the silhouetted figure becomes a site of imagination, remembrance and quiet resistance. Tracing Shadows is a must-see.
Saïdou Dicko: Tracing Shadows is at the The Photographers’ Gallery, London, until 7 September.
Words: Eleanor Sutherland
Image Credits:
1. Saïdou Dicko, The Flavours of Bananas, T UK Music, (2025). Courtesy of the artist and The Photographers’ Gallery.
2. Saïdou Dicko, Collection Aborigine Act 1, TMK F Jaune 1, (2024). Courtesy of the artist and The Photographers’ Gallery.
3. Saïdou Dicko, TGV Ouaga Lome, TMS2, (2023). Courtesy of the artist and The Photographers’ Gallery.
