Sid Sanni (b. Brescia, Italy; based in London) is an artist of Nigerian heritage whose multicultural background informs a practice that merges figuration and abstraction. Drawing from the morphology of African masks and the visual language of cartoons, his work explores diasporic identity and the construction of self.
His paintings combine vibrant colour, bold linework, and geometric structure to create a symbolic language where human presence meets the exaggerated traits of animation. Cartoons are used for their ability to personify human characteristics, allowing emotion, instinct, and behaviour to be expressed with immediacy. Figurative fragments and expressive distortion become a means of examining constructed identities and shifting emotional states.
Architectural and industrial cues are embedded within the compositions, introducing ideas of tension, balance, and engineered order. These spatial references act as frameworks through which emotional states are held and observed, allowing the work to move between psychological and structural readings.
Texture and movement play a central role, amplifying the energy of each piece while maintaining a careful balance between control and expression. Across the work, the familiar and the surreal coexist, opening a space between the personal and the imagined.
Exhibitions
2022, New Beginnings, open studio exhibition, London
2023, Perfected Imperfections, group show, collaboration with Kaecen, artistic fragrance house, Covent Garden, London
2026, Vortic Art TBC