Saidi Abasi Mitumbati, Herrings on white 1

oil on canvas, 100x100 cm

Shaidi, who works under the pseudonym Shaha, was born in 1982 in Tunduru, Ruvuma district of Tanzania. The artist is recognized as one of the most important representatives of the African tingatinga painting style. As is often the case, the artist's life at the beginning of his career was not exclusively tied around art. In 1999 he came to Dar es Salaam, where he worked as a salesman in a store, and already in 2002 he began to learn painting from his cousin Rashid Chilamboni in Mbagala. Thanks to his talent and incredible sense of color and form, Shaha made rapid progress. Later, the artist moved to Msasani, where he continued to study painting with Rashid's brother Abdallah for another year. After that, he became an independent artist. The innovation of Shah's work lies in experimenting with new styles. The use of strong contrasts and unusual colors, as well as animal patterns, makes his works very attractive and decorative. Added to this is the artist's penchant for using a limited range of colors, usually only two or three.