Yubah Sanogo

Yubah Sanogo was born in 1984 in Bingerville, Côte d’Ivoire. He still lives and works there today, dividing his time between his home city and Grand Bassam.

Sanogo studied at the Centre Technique des Arts Appliqués, Bingerville, graduating in 2005. He was also a studio assistant in the ateliers of the Ivoirian postwar and contemporary artist Jacques Stenka and the Australian artist Virginia Ryan, both of whom played a key role in supporting the development of his artistic perspective and technical skills. 

As a boy, Sanogo was attracted to the natural world around him, from the stars and other celestial bodies to local flora and the elements, especially water. This deep connection to his surrounding environment would later shape Sanogo’s approach to his work and become the cornerstone of his artistic practice.

Sanogo’s distinctive artistic style involves a meticulous dot-by-dot technique, in which he uses acrylic paint to create intricate patterns and forms across large-scale canvases. The dots that populate Sanogo’s paintings recall the stars or drops of water. With the latter, the message is conveyed that this element is a blessing on several levels, providing essential sustenance and giving us both courage and hope. While each dot symbolises an individual, together, they form meaningful shapes in works that explore related themes, such as unity and interconnectedness. In this way, Sanogo’s artistic vision is entrenched in his longing for reconciliation between humanity and nature. His figures take the form of intriguing, mythological hybrids - part human, part animal and part plant – reminding viewers of his desire to see harmony achieved between the human race and the natural world. These subjects are brought to life in the uplifting colours associated with naïve art. Aside from these largely expressionist style pieces, Sanogo also produces abstract works that are equally joyous and aesthetically appealing. 

Commenting on his practice, he has said, “Nature and acoustics are the defining aspects of my painting. My studio is by the Atlantic Ocean – here, my work often responds to the star-lit sky; that is why I often work in the calmness of the night. This is then connected to the jazz music I love to listen to; see all the dots in the paintings? They are like a musical score.”

Sanogo has shown his work in several exhibitions, including key solo shows at: Case Bleu, Grand-Bassam (2016); and Koffi Yao Gallery, Abidjan (2014).

He has also taken part in numerous group shows, including: Abidjan Art Week, Walls House of Art, Marcory Zone 4, Abidjan (2025); Abidjan Art Fair, Palais de Culture, Abidjan (2024); Don’t Be a Square! AKKA Project, Venice (2024); Expo BICICI Amis des Arts, Abidjan (2015); ARKADI, Abidjan (2013); Remembrance of Africa [from the collection of Contemporary Art of West Africa], Palazzo Lucarini, Trevi (2013); Museum of Civilization, Abidjan (2012); ‘Esprit de L’eau’, Italian Embassy, Abidjan and Peroux (2012); Collective, Rotund Des Arts, Abidjan (2011); International Biennale of ARTE3, Venice (2010); ‘Esprit de L’eau’, Charles Donwahi Foundation, Abidjan (2009); and International Biennial ADJE-PESSI, Bingerville (2008).