Sanda Amadou

Sanda Amadou is an artist whose roots trace back to a Fulani community in Northern Benin. Born in 1978, he has led a multifaceted journey that encompasses his academic pursuit of a PhD in Sociolinguistics at the University of Ghana, Accra, and an artistic education nurtured through residencies and master’s workshops. After residing in Lagos for several years, Sanda Amadou returned to Cotonou, Benin, in 2019. His artistic path was illuminated by his childhood fascination with the culture and tattoos of the nomadic Fulani people, an enduring source of inspiration that he continues to study and reinterpret.

Amadou’s artistic evolution has given rise to a distinctive semi-abstract style of drawing and painting. His creative exploration revolves around depicting the universe, drawing profound inspiration from the awe-inspiring body marks of the Fulani people. The initial six years of his artistic career (1999-2005) were dedicated to an in-depth study of Fulani tattoos. His inaugural solo exhibition was held in Nyamey, Republic of Niger, in 2002 at the Palais des Congres.

From 2006 onwards, Sanda Amadou shifted his focus to delve into the universe of nomadic Fulani herdsmen. He began to intertwine this exploration with external cultural influences, interweaving and connecting these diverse worlds through various mediums such as dance, poetry, and divinities studies. It was during his exploration of divinities that he embarked on a profound quest to understand the concept of sacredness.

Amadou’s works are characterized by an apparent adherence to rigorous geometry, constructing complex architectures that exude an intriguing playfulness and surprising fragility. His artistic language is built upon lines, circles, triangles, and quadrilaterals—semi-mathematical forms that are never quite perfect. These forms connect Fulani symbols of natural life with ropes at their base, resulting in imaginary shapes and grotesque figures that reveal a raw vulnerability, an ethereal quality, and a perpetual sense of motion. His creations invite viewers to catch a glimpse of an unreal essence, a world of wonder.

In his latest artistic endeavors, Sanda Amadou has ventured into the realm of 3D effects, experimenting with different textures and sculpting on canvas using plated synthetic hairs in various forms. His “Sacred Places” series employs these braids to craft sacred forest monasteries, serving as a metaphor for the urgent need to canonize and protect the natural environment while fostering a harmonious human relationship with nature.

Sanda Amadou is an artist of international acclaim, with recognition spanning both domestic and global spheres. He has contributed to numerous solo and collective exhibitions in Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal, Dubai, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States (San Francisco and New York). His art has graced major international art exhibitions and fairs, including World Art Dubai, ARTX Lagos (Nigeria), and AKAA Paris (2021 and a solo exhibition in 2022). Sanda Amadou’s work transcends borders, inviting viewers to explore the intersection of cultures and the profound essence of the universe.