Where: Fondation Cartier, Paris
Pictures Allowed: Yes
Kid Friendly: Yes
Open: Tuesday 11.00 -22.00, Wednesday –Sunday 11.00 -20.00
Price: € 12/ € 8
Malian-born photographer Malick Sidibé was hailed as “the eye of Bamako” for his work in the Mali capital in the heady years after independence from France in 1960. Sidibé would often shoot in dance halls, soirées and predominately in his studio in the Bagadagjii district.
By the 1990s Sidibé’s work had gained attention outside Africa. In 1995 Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain was the first to give him a solo show outside of the continent. Almost a year after Sidibé’s death, the institution is presenting Mali Twist, the largest ever exhibition of his work.
The collection provides a thorough immersion of post-colonized Mali between the 1960s and 80s, featuring over 300 vintage photographs of timeless beauty, fashion, dance and the musical tastes of liberated Mali. Unseen studio portraits will also be included, which have been selected from thousands of negatives from Sidibé’s archives.
Alongside the exhibition will run Nomadic Nights, where Malian artists, musicians, and thinkers have been invited to stage concerts, dance nights, pop-up studios, and various talks and discussions during the opening.
Words: Maggie Ibiam
Malick Sidibé, Un jeune gentleman, 1978