Sanlé Sory & Saïdou Dicko: Volta Photo | The Shadowed People

“Ever since I was little, I’ve always loved taking pictures of myself. The photos I took help me to remember how I was. I see that I’m no longer like that […] but it’s not an illness, it’s just time. You have to have memories and, little by little, you’ll have good memories for the grandkids. Even those who aren’t born, maybe you’ll no longer be here, but your images are, and they’ll see all of that."- Sanlé Sory 

Sanlé Sory was (born in Nianiagara, Burkina Faso, 1953) and began taking photographs in 1960. He studied under a Ghanian photographer and began as a photojournalist and album cover artist before opening his own studio, Volta Photo, in the mid-1960s. He is known for his signature black and white, 6 x 6 format portraits taken on a Rolleiflex in his personal studio. He has exhibited at Morton Hill Gallery, Yossi Milo Gallery, and the Art Institute of Chicago. He has published Volta Photo 1965-85 (2017), Volta Photo (2018), Studio Volta Photo (2018).

Saïdou Dicko was born in Burkina Faso in 1979. He lives and works in Paris, France. 

Dicko is a self-taught visual artist (photographer, videographer, installer and painter). At the age of five, Dicko, a Fulani Shepherd, learned to draw by collecting shadows of his sheep on the Sahel soils. Naturally, the shadow is present in all of his work. In 2005, he began to experiment with photography. Six months after his photographic debut, he presented his first exhibition in the 2006 Dakar Biennial Off, where he won a prize, the first in a long series.

His work has been presented at many international events (biennials, international fairs, exhibitions). In 2012, he co-founded the collective "Rendez-Vous d’Artistes" which is a nomadic platform where artists of all kinds — curators, gallerists, art lovers, cultural journalists — can exchange ideas. Since 2013, he has been curator and scenographer, particularly in Morocco.

Dicko's artistic work continues to evolve thanks to his travels, his experience, his variousinspirations and his continued quest for a better world. His new series, The Shadowed People, is a reflection of years of work and research. Fifty percent of all sales of Dicko’s work go to his association, Nafoore Cellal, which has developed a health center and pharmacy, an organic vegetable garden employing 25 women and 7 men, 2 solar- powered water towers, and 2 manual water pumps in his native Yagma pastoral zone in Burkina Faso.