Recent Histories
Deconstructed Spaces, Surveyed Memories
Les Rencontres de Bamako. Biennale Africaine de la Photographie
12/2/2017 — 1/31/2018
Les Rencontres de Bamako. Biennale Africaine de la Photographie
12/2/2017 — 1/31/2018
On the occasion of the 11th edition of Rencontres de Bamako, Biennale Africaine de la Photographie, The Walther Collection presents Deconstructed Spaces, Surveyed Memories, a selection from The Walther Collection's exhibition Recent Histories: Contemporary African Photography and Video Art, which was presented in Neu-Ulm, Germany from May through November 2017.
Deconstructed Spaces, Surveyed Memories assembles works by eight photographers born after the liberation movements that swept Africa in the 1960s. They investigate structural notions of identity and memory to consider the impact of broad sociocultural, economic, and political currents. These artists examine urban architectures, sites of labor, and products of mass consumption, by employing principles of abstraction, analyzing particular landscapes and built environments, or probing a more spiritual invocation of the photographic inquiry. Analyzing environments that oscillate between the public and personal, their works provide different commentaries on the transformations of life, brought about within the framework of an increasingly interconnected world.
The exhibition reveals the dialogues taking place amongst this current generation of image-makers, by providing multiple points of entry to engage critically with African photography and video art. Amplifying the intensity of this current moment of creative production, Deconstructed Spaces, Surveyed Memories acknowledges the complexities and differing conceptions that can resound through each urban space, personal memory, or social community.
Founded in 1994, the Rencontres de Bamako are co-organized and co-produced by the Malian Ministry of Culture and the Institut français. The first and main event devoted to African photography and images, in just over 20 years the Biennale has become a standard for excellence on the international contemporary art scene.
International in scope, this cultural event focusing on issues in contemporary photography and video features exhibits, professional encounters, workshops, public projections and catalogue, which serve as a catalyst for the Continent's artists, image professionals and the public at large.
Musée du District
Place de la Liberté
BP 256 Bamako
Mali
www.rencontres-bamako.com
