Wax Print Patterns in Saadio's Painting

"Motif de wax" (wax pattern), "Carnaval" and "Afro" are three paintings by Saadio, in mixed media, acrylic and Posca, where repeated patterns become the subject of the painting itself. All three works are available at Ge'eza's gallery, with the price given on request from each page.

A short note on wax print fabric

Before turning to the paintings, a word on the fabric that gives one of them its name. Wax print is a printed cotton fabric, recognisable for its bold colours and the cracked texture of its printing, descended from a textile decoration technique inspired by batik from Southeast Asia. Industrialised in Europe in the 19th century and then exported to West Africa, it was widely adopted, reinterpreted and made its own there over the following decades, to the point of becoming one of the fabrics most closely tied to clothing and visual identity in the region today. Each wax print pattern is usually given a name by sellers or wearers, and some patterns carry across generations, sometimes changing meaning as they travel between contexts.

This fabric has fed into West African visual art more broadly, and it is this fabric that the title "Motif de wax" names.

"Motif de wax," "Carnaval" and "Afro": three titles, three paintings

"Motif de wax," mixed media, acrylic and Posca on canvas, 150 x 150 cm, made in 2025, names the fabric directly as its subject. "Carnaval," same technique, 100 x 150 cm, 2025, points by its title to a festive setting. "Afro," 100 x 100 cm, 2025, points by its title to an aesthetic tied to Afro-descendant cultures. All three canvases share the same technique and the same year.

The pages for "Motif de wax" and "Carnaval" give the full technique, size and status for each work, with a photograph of the canvas.

Mixed media in service of pattern

Acrylic and Posca, combined on one canvas, suit a repeated-pattern subject particularly well: acrylic lays down the backgrounds, while Posca allows crisp lines and repeated shapes with a precision close to drawing.

Caring for a patterned painting

A mixed-media canvas is cared for like any acrylic painting: kept away from direct sunlight, which can dull colour over time, in a room with stable humidity, dusted with a dry, soft cloth. Square formats such as "Motif de wax" or "Afro," at 150 x 150 cm and 100 x 100 cm, need a wall clear enough that the canvas is not cut off by furniture or a nearby doorframe.

Titles distinct from those devoted to the street

In Saadio's work, "Motif de wax," "Carnaval" and "Afro" form a group of titles distinct from the paintings devoted to Dakar traffic, such as "Embouteillage" or "Corniche Ouest." This range of subjects, within the same mixed-media technique, gives a sense of how broad the artist's work is.

The meaning of "carnival" and "afro"

The word "carnival" generally names a festive period or parade, marked by costume, music and bright colour, a tradition found in various forms in many countries. The word "afro," for its part, first names a hairstyle that became, from the 1960s and 1970s onward, a symbol tied to Black pride movements, before coming to name a broader aesthetic linked to Afro-descendant cultures. These are the general meanings carried by the titles Saadio chose, without describing the precise visual content of either canvas.

Why pattern remains a current subject

Wax print fabric is still worn and sold today across West Africa, and its name remains an immediately recognisable reference, even for a newcomer to the region. Taking it up as a painting's title, rather than as a mere backdrop or costume within a figurative scene, means naming an object already built by other hands, those of pattern designers and weavers, and passing it through the painter's own gesture.

Saadio at the gallery

Saadio has been shown at Ge'eza's gallery since the "Lien commun" exhibition in October 2025. His artist page brings together a large body of mixed-media work, where pattern and graphic sign hold a central place, alongside urban scenes and more narrative subjects.

Asking for a price and coming to see the paintings

The price of each of these three works is given on request from its page, or directly on WhatsApp at +221 78 660 07 07, or by email to geezacultures@gmail.com, naming the exact title. The team replies with the price, the technical details and the certificate of authenticity that travels with every work sold. The gallery can be visited without an appointment, Tuesday to Sunday, 8am to 10pm, during the same hours as the restaurant, at 656 avenue Birago Diop, Point E.