Born in 1970 in Vendome, France, Saadane Afif lives and works in Paris and Berlin. His practice can be characterized as a process of cultural sampling and self-reflexive remix. His sculptures, scale models, installations, sound pieces, and texts are often the re-interpretations of older works in new forms. His installation ‘Power Cords’ (2004) consists of eleven electric guitars hooked up to an orchestrating computer programme that plays single power cords, thus replicating the basic compositional structure of rock’n’roll songs. Afif has commissioned a lyricist to transform this piece into a text, which he exhibits as a separate work entitled ‘Pop (Power Cord)’ (2005). Afif’s sculptural piece ‘Brume’ (2003) is an aluminum road-sign stripped of its informational content. Rather than directing viewers, its white surface reflects the traffic of gallery goers, which theatrically animates the empty signage. Afif’s continuous process of (re)covering wrenches the event-form from nostalgia and secures it firmly into the ever presentness of objects, while transforming the exhibition of these objects into unique experiential events.

Recent solo exhibitions include a curatorial project which he conceived that included his own work and that of several other artists as part of the Lyon Biennial (2007), Blue Time vs. Suspense at Galerie Xavier Hufkens, Brussels (2007), Power Chords/ 9 pièces réduites at Fondation Prince Pierre, Monaco (2006) and Lyrics at Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2005). His work has been shown in London as part of Learn to Read at Tate Modern (2007) and Handsome young doctor at Cubitt Gallery (2007), as well as in the exhibitions Airs de Paris at Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris (2007) and French kissing in the USA at The Moore Space, Miami, USA (2007). Noteworthy international group exhibitions include Documenta 12, Kassel (2007), the Busan Biennial, Korea (2006), the 2005 Lyon Biennial (where he won the Young Artists prize) and the 1st Moscow biennial (2005). He is a recipient of the International Contemporary Art Award, Fondation Prince Pierre, Monaco (2006) and a "Villa Medicis Hors les Murs" award-winner (2002).

Sadaane Afif works with Galerie Michel Rein in Paris, Xavier Hufkens in Brussels and Mehdi Chouakri in Berlin.