Black Shade Projects is the creation of art advisor and curator Myriem Baadi, who is dedicated to developing a travelling exhibition platform for African photography and promoting the golden era of Malian studio photographers. Nataal supported Black Shades Projects’ inaugural exhibition in London as media partner for Crossroads by Youssouf Sogodogo in October 2019. Now off the back of their first great success they present their second exhibition Her Eyes, They Never Lie. It opens to coincide with 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in Marrakesh this week, where the exhibition will be presented in collaboration with the first edition of the annual African salon, AFRƎEculture.

Her Eyes, They Never Lie, curated by Lisa Anderson, examines the female subject with works by Adama Kouyaté and Abdourahmane Sakaly together with British-Ghanaian visual artist Adekaide Damoah. Baadi states that the photography of portrait masters Kouyaté and Sakaly “is integral in the development of the medium on the continent and beyond. Their artistic innovation paved the way for more diverse cultural practices, which continues to resonate and inspire future generations.” Additionally on show will be a body of work titled Hairstyles of Mali by their contemporary Youssouf Sogodogo as well as a satellite performance from Enam Gbewonyo, founder of the Black British Female Artist collective, who curated the first Black Shade Projects show.

The project aims to celebrate the archive of the forefathers of Malian portrait photography by extending the conversation into the current age with collaborations with BBFA and AFRƎEculture and other artists addressing what is to be a female living and working in Africa currently.

The moment is now to celebrate Adama Kouyaté, as aged 92, he passed away just days before the opening of this exhibition, which marks the first international showing of this body of work. Kouyaté developed his skills and love for photography by becoming an apprentice to Bakary Doumbia, a successful studio photographer at the time, swiftly opening his own studio and perfecting his craft in Bamako. He went on to set up further studios in Bouaké and later Ségou, where he lived and worked for the remainder of his life.

The artist left behind a legacy of redefining not only the African subject but specifically the female, which he re-imagined and empowered through his portraiture. Kouyaté’s intimate black and white photographs subvert the subservient gaze of women captured by male photographers of this and other generations, by depicting agency and power in his subjects. Each portrait defines a modern depiction of self-recognition and self-definition, by capturing the spirit of individuality.

Abdourahmane Sakaly is considered a leading figure in Malian photography setting up the very first studio in Bamako in the 1960s. Born in Senegal, the photographic star, Meïssa Gaye, influenced him to pursue photography. Similarly to Kouyaté, his photographs reveal a modern Mali, establishing the country’s aesthetic, creative identity and culture as a newly independent state.

Adekaide Damoah, currently living in London, uses her body in live performances to channel and challenge the outdated rhetoric surrounding race and gender. Through her new collection of work, which will be accompanied by an immersive performance, she addresses the role of women and their relationship to subject/ objecthood as seen throughout history.

The recent passing of Adama Kouyaté moves us to consider the past and legacy left by such frontrunners who spearheaded the reclamation of the female gaze.

Black Shade Projects X AFRƎEculture presents Her Eyes, They Never Lie, 19 – 23 February 2020 at Jnane Tamsna, Douar Abiad, Palmeraie, Marrakesh

Read Nataal’s review of Black Shade Projects inaugural exhibition, Crossroads by Youssouf Sogodogo here

Visit Black Shade Projects

Published on 17/02/2020