Saadio, Senegalese Artist: Mixed Media and Graphic Writing

Saadio is a Senegalese artist shown at Ge'eza's gallery in Point E, Dakar, where 30 of his works are online. He works in mixed media, acrylic and Posca, on canvas or on kraft paper shown under glass, in a dense graphic writing where signs and figures intertwine. His page is on the artists section; every price is given on request from the artwork's own page.

A dense graphic writing

What stands out across Saadio's 30 works online is the consistency of a gesture: signs and figures intertwined, laid down in acrylic and then sharpened with Posca, on canvases that are mostly square or close to it, from 80 x 60 cm to 150 x 150 cm. That description follows the wording used on the gallery's own page for his work. The mixed media, pairing a thick paint with a fine marker, gives every canvas a result that reads as both painting and drawing.

Le Voyageur, a sold piece

"Le Voyageur" (2025, mixed media on kraft paper, 60 x 50 cm, shown under glass, its title meaning "the traveller") has found a buyer: its status, on the artwork's page, is marked as sold. It can still be viewed online, on the artwork's page, which keeps its earlier web address. A sold piece always leaves with a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist, and the buyer becomes its sole holder: no other version of it exists.

Canvases and kraft paper under glass

Saadio's work splits between two supports. On one side, good-sized canvases such as "Embouteillage" (150 x 150 cm, "traffic jam"), "Motif de wax" (150 x 150 cm, "wax print pattern"), "Carnaval" (100 x 150 cm) and "Scène de rue" (100 x 150 cm, "street scene"), all in acrylic and Posca. On the other, a series of smaller pieces, 60 x 50 cm, made on kraft paper and shown under glass: "Le dompteur 1," "Le dompteur 2," "Le défi," "Le défi 2," "Tik Tok," "Ma moto," "Petit oiseau," "Amulette" and "La danse du lion (Simb)." Showing these under glass protects the paper, more fragile than canvas, and gives these small formats the feel of a framed print.

The street, trades and the city

Several titles place Saadio's work in an urban world: "Arrêt taxi 1" and "Arrêt taxi 2" ("taxi stop"), "Corniche Ouest," "Scène de rue," "Embouteillage." Other titles point to more personal or symbolic subjects: "Ailleurs" ("elsewhere"), "Accueil chaleureux" ("warm welcome"), "Captivité," "Duo," "Cavalier seul" ("lone rider"), "Le proverbe peul" ("the Fulani proverb"), "Le berger" ("the shepherd"), "La vie en bleu" ("life in blue"), "Joyeux bleus" ("happy blues"), "Afro," "Casamance," "Dialogue des fresques" ("dialogue of murals") and his own version of "Marché hebdomadaire" ("weekly market"). This range of titles gives a sense of a practice that does not stay within a single register.

Acrylic and Posca, in practice

Acrylic lays down the backgrounds and the large blocks of colour; Posca, a pigment marker, then traces the lines, the repeated motifs and the fine detail that give each composition its graphic density. This pairing is why Saadio's canvases read as both paintings and enlarged drawings, a balance found on his canvases just as much as on his kraft paper pieces.

Canvas and kraft paper, side by side

Of the 30 works online, most are on canvas, in formats from 80 x 60 cm to 150 x 150 cm, and nine are on kraft paper, all at 60 x 50 cm and shown under glass, with a tenth, "Le Voyageur," already sold. Seeing a canvas and a kraft paper piece side by side at the gallery is the simplest way to judge the difference in scale and presentation between the two supports, without needing a description of either piece beyond its title, technique, format and year, each of which is listed on its own page.

Asking for the price of a Saadio piece

Prices are not posted online: they are given on request, directly from the page of the chosen piece, or by WhatsApp at +221 78 660 07 07, naming the exact title. The team replies with the price, the technical details and the certificate of authenticity. The story of the exhibition that first brought the artist together with Ibou Diagne and Tampidaro is told in Lien commun at IFAN.

Seeing his work at the gallery

Judging the density of a Saadio composition is best done in person: Ge'eza's gallery can be visited without an appointment, Tuesday to Sunday, 8am to 10pm, at 656 avenue Birago Diop, Point E, the same hours as the restaurant. Large canvases read best from across the gallery lounge before stepping closer to follow the Posca line work; the smaller pieces under glass suit a closer look, at eye level. For any question about a canvas or a framed piece before you come, write on WhatsApp at +221 78 660 07 07 or to geezacultures@gmail.com.