Bio: Saikou Ceesay is a Gambian-born former professional footballer, now a visual artist and designer. For him, painting has become an alternative way to express himself and channel his innate rhythm when he is not in the football arenas. In his art, Ceesay creates daydream-like surprising moments and reflections. While most of his art is abstract, Ceesay has developed his own visual vocabulary and superior style. His works allows the viewer to be amazed at what is missing and what is found simultaneously.

 

In Finnish:

Saikou Ceesay on gambialaissyntyinen entinen ammattilaisjalkapalloilija, nykyään kuvataiteilija ja suunnittelija. Hänelle maalaaminen on vaihtoehtoinen tapa ilmaista itseään ja kanavoida luontaista rytmiään, kun hän ei vaikuta pelikentillä. Ceesay luo taiteessaan päiväunimaisia, yllättäviä hetkiä ja heijastuksia. Vaikka suurin osa hänen taiteestaan on abstraktia, on Ceesay kehittänyt oman visuaalisen sanastonsa ja ylivertaisen tyylinsä. Hänen työlleen on tyypillistä, että kokija hämmästelee samanaikaisesti sitä, mikä puuttuu, ja mitä töistä löytyy.

 

A poem from Saikou:

My roots are my pasts

The tree is the present me

The fruits are my future

What are my leaves for?

A question that has been dancing on my mind

To the tunes of confusion and curiosity

What are my leaves for?

Maya Angelou spoke about “the rainbows in our clouds”

They are our heroes and sheroes

People who have paved the ways for us

Through sweat, blood, and tears

Losing their lives with smiles on their faces

Believing, regardless of their roots being cut

Trees chopped

Fruits stolen

But their leaves providing shades

For the next generation not to burn in the hot sun

They planted the seeds from the only fruits they had left

Praying on for their roots to grow and run deeper

Trees grow tall and strong

Fruits ripe, sweet and juicy

Leaves spread wide like wings

Wide and free

And hence find their ways back home

What are my leaves for?