Every major group show wants to be seminal, few ever are. ICP's 'Snap Judgements: New Positions in Contemporary African Photography' could be one of those expections. it truly marks a change of guard from the old-school African photographers like Malick Sidibé, Seydou Keita or Cornélius Yao Augustt Azaglo, who were basically trade workers with studios in market towns, whose main business were passport and family photos and who by mere accident or strike of genius developed styles that suited the tastes and esthetics of Western curators, galerists and collectors.
The new generation of photographers brings a new sensibility of urban Africa to their work that seperates them from their elders and Nothern peers. Boubacar Touré Mandémory's images of Dakar, mostly shot from overhaed or groundlevel perspectives for example change our view of African cities from the social documentarian's outsider view to the insider view of the city's inhabitants.
There's plenty of photographers to discover. Mohamed Canara from Bamako for example, whose first forays into photography with a borrowed digital camera garnered him a solo exhibition at the Tate Modern.
The Depth of Field Collective from Lagos, James Marinki's hazy images from nocturnal Nairobi and Jo Ratcliffe's panoramic dreamscapes might be found in Art Fairs from Basel to New York very soon. One of the highlights are the works of Nigerian photographer and filmmaker Andrew Dosunmu though, who brings the hipster style sensibility of Malick Sidibé and the vibe of urban Africa to the West. His videos make Harlem or Brooklyn look like the fun parts of Lagos and Kinshasa. He is also the New York editor of Clam Mag.
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Go to the exhibition's website.
See Andrew Dosunmu's video for Youssou N'Dour.
See Andrew Dosunmu's video portfolio including his great spot for Gitanes and a trailer for his brillant documentary about the Detroit Hair Wars 'Hot Irons' (in the directors/music video section) of The Artists Company.
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