Hussein Saidi’s natural sculptures

Our African collection features notable artists such as Ade Oyelami of Nigeria and Hussein Saidi of Tanzania.

Oyelami is a master Batik artist, a style that uses wax and dyes on fabrics creating intricate designs, patterns and amazing rich art.

Saidi, by contrast, incorporates local materials more commonly associated with traditional African art such as wood, tree bark, leaves, husks and fabrics in addition to acrylics.

These natural materials are often shredded, burned or hand dyed, and protected with museum style conservation.

Saidi enriches his subjects with these elements of nature, giving his figures 3-D style movement and the paintings themselves rawer, more emotional projections.