Sadio Diallo, “A Different Kind of Blues”

CRITIC’S PICK: Senegalese artist Sadio Diallo is a regular participant at the Dakar Art Biennale and has represented his country at the Exposicion Universal in Zaragoza, Spain. He has also shown at the Galerie Africaine in Paris and at the Out of Africa Gallery in Barcelona, as well as in group exhibits in Freiburg, Germany. An early influence was the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat, and his bio says Diallo is classed among the emerging contemporary artists from the African continent who “defy description because of their innovative and avant-garde vitality.” For reasons unknown, Diallo was denied entry into the United States to attend this exhibition. — Kevin C. Madigan