PARIS PHOTO
10-13 NOV 2011
GRAND PALAIS

WWW.PARISPHOTO.FR

Place of honour for Africa

Following Germany, the Netherlands, Mexico, Switzerland, Spain, the Nordic Countries, Italy, Japan, the Middle East and central Europe, Paris Photo is giving African photography the place of honour this year, from Bamako to Cape Town.

• Les Rencontres de Bamako held within a dedicated area, will be offering a glimpse of the new generation of African artists, spotted at the Biennial of African Photography, created in 1994.

• Artur Walther Collection will be showing a generation of African artists in an exhibition space set out in the midst of the exhibition.

• Publishers have also become involved in the diffusion of African art. During the exhibition, the l’œil publishers will be launching the very first book dedicated to a prominent Malagasy photographer, Pierrot Men, as well as a book going back 50 of Malick Sidibé’s photographs of his home village. They will also be presenting numerous portfolios by African photographers: Pierrot Men, Youssouf Sogodogo, Mohamed Camara, Sergio Santimano, Ananias Leki Dago, Nestor Da, Berry Bickle, David Brazier…

• The African theme will be present throughout the exhibition. Many galleries that support African art in general and photography in particular, will this year be presenting their most emblematic works.

Bamako Encounters

Exhibition “African Emerging Photography”

The young generation of African artists will be presented by “Les Rencontres de Bamako”, the first Biennial of African photography.

For the past 18 years, my Encounters have allowed many photographers to be spotted and become acknowledged: Seydou Keita, Malick Sidibé, Samuel Fosso or Santu Mofokeng.

The twelve artists invited by Paris Photo are:
Abdoulaye Barry (Chad), Mohamed Camara (Mali), Nestor Da (Burkina Faso), Fatoumata Diabate (Mali), Husain et Hasan Essop (South Africa), Uche Okpa-Iroha (Nigeria), Jehad Nga (Kenya/Libya), Nyani Quarmyne (Ghana), Arturo Bibang (Equatorial Guinea), Baudouin Mouanda (Congo-Brazzaville), Zanele Muholi (South Africa), Nyaba Ouedraogo (Burkina Faso).

Plan a visit from the 1st November 2011 to the 1st January 2012 for the 9th edition of the Bamako Encounters. Artistic management by Michket Krifa and Laura Serani. Theme: “For a sustainable world”.

The “Private Collection” exhibition allows us each year to explore the passion, expertise and curiosity of a renowned collector.

This year for the very first time in France, Paris Photo will be hosting the Artur Walther collection, from the Events of the Self: Portraiture and Social Identity exhibition presented in 2010 at the Walther Collection (Neu-Ulm, Germany).

Its theme “the photographic portrait”, confronts three generations of artists and African photographers and includes German modern and contemporary photographs. Guest commissioner: Okwui Enwezor

The artists present: Sammy Baloji, Allan deSouza, Samuel Fosso, Kay Hassan, Seydou Keïta, Santu Mofokeng, Zanele Muholi, J.D. Okhai Ojeikere, Jo Ractliffe, Berni Searle, Malick Sidibé, Guy Tillim, Hentie van der Merwe, Nontsikelelo Veleko, Bernd and Hilla Becher, August Sander.

The “Events of the Self: Portraiture and Social Identity” book was published by the Steidl (2010).

Exhibition created with the support of J.P. Morgan