Tampidaro, Senegalese Artist: Urban Dakar in Mixed Acrylic

Tampidaro is a Senegalese artist shown at Ge'eza's gallery in Point E, Dakar, where 22 of his works are online, all in mixed acrylic. His work keeps returning to urban Dakar, to Saint-Louis and to the figure of Battling Siki. His page is on the artists section, his canvases on the gallery page, and the price of each is given on request.

One technique across 22 works

Unlike Ibou Diagne or Saadio, who move between several techniques, Tampidaro works exclusively in mixed acrylic, judging by the 22 pages currently online, a consistency that makes his body of work easy to recognise across very different subjects. Formats range from small 50 x 50 cm pieces to large 150 x 150 cm compositions, with in-between formats such as 70 x 100 cm or 100 x 120 cm. The years run from 2023, for the earliest works online ("Dakar en travaux," "La mystique du rond-point"), to 2025 for most of the rest.

Urban Dakar, a favourite subject

Several titles place Tampidaro's work in a city under constant change: "Dakar en travaux" (2023, "Dakar under construction"), "La mystique du rond-point" (2023, "the mystique of the roundabout"), "Sous le rond-point d'artifices" (2025) and "Totem dans la ville" (2025, "totem in the city"). A series of small 50 x 50 cm pieces, all from 2025, whose titles point to fleeting street moments: "Break dance sous le pont," "Laisse-moi passer, way !," "Attention, maman traverse !," "Même pas fatigué !," "La nuit de Dakar" and "Les revenants." The urban market also finds its place, with "Marché Sandaga" (100 x 120 cm), "Le marché de Colobane" and "Le marché de Thiaroye."

Saint-Louis, without making it an origin

"Saint-Louis" and "Le radeau de Saint-Louis" (2025, 70 x 100 cm each, "the raft of Saint-Louis") carry the name of the city listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2000, a former capital of French West Africa. These are titles of works, not a clue about where the artist was born or lives: it can be said that Saint-Louis appears in his work, never that it is his origin.

Battling Siki, subject of one canvas

Among Tampidaro's subjects is "Battling Siki" (2025, mixed acrylic, 150 x 110 cm), named after the boxer Amadou M'Barick Fall, who became world light heavyweight champion on 24 September 1922 in Paris against Georges Carpentier, the first world champion born in Africa. As with Saint-Louis, Battling Siki is one of the subjects the artist paints, with no biographical link established between the two. The article the 1966 World Festival of Black Arts places this figure within the wider sweep of Senegalese cultural history.

The large coloured formats

Alongside his urban scenes, Tampidaro has produced several large 150 x 150 cm compositions: "Renaissance en bouquet" ("renaissance in a bouquet"), "Fleurs d'artifices" ("fireworks flowers") and "Totem dans la ville," all from 2025, as well as "La belle dame de cœur" (150 x 120 cm, "the fair lady of hearts"). Two titles with an international ring, "Peace and Freedom" and "Asiko," and a piece called "DAK-KAO Parcours," round out this group of 100 x 100 cm formats, showing a practice that does not stay within one geography or theme, even if Dakar and its surroundings remain the clearest thread running through the 22 pieces online today.

What mixed acrylic means

Mixed acrylic describes an acrylic paint combined with other materials or processes within the same composition, which sets its surface apart from plain acrylic. In Tampidaro's case, this technique runs across all 22 works online, from the large formats to the small 50 x 50 cm street scenes, and it allows for fairly sharp contrasts of texture from one canvas to the next, which is why two pieces of the same size, seen side by side in the gallery lounge, can read very differently depending on the light and the time of day you visit.

Asking for the price of a Tampidaro piece

Prices are not posted online: they are given on request from the artwork's page, 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 three gallery artists, alongside Saadio and Ibou Diagne, is told in artists shown at Ge'eza.

Seeing his work at the gallery

Ge'eza's gallery can be visited without an appointment, Tuesday to Sunday, 8am to 10pm, at 656 avenue Birago Diop, Point E. Because the display can change between visits, it is worth walking the whole gallery lounge rather than stopping at the first canvas that catches your eye, and asking the team which pieces are currently out if a particular title matters to you. For any question about a Tampidaro canvas before you come, write on WhatsApp at +221 78 660 07 07 or to geezacultures@gmail.com.