Bamako: Contemporary Photography with a Variable Geography (Geographies‪)‬

Bamako, Mali's Capital, has hosted an international biennale of photography since 1994 (mostly initiated and directed from outside of the country), which has become, against all odds, the entire African continent's showcase for photography. This paper is aimed at discussing how Bamakese photographers and all of the participants in this event succeed in reconciling realities that at times are in high contrast with each other: local realities, day-to-day livelihoods, and Western art market realities--a market that they don't comprehend but whose requirements they need to comply with in order to gain exposure on the international scene. Let's begin with some clarifications. African photography is the photography produced by Africans, that is, by people who are born and practice in Africa; yet, contemporary African photography seems to entail many complex realities that are yet to be defined. For the art collectors and merchants (most of them from Northern countries), it is represented primarily through black and white studio photography taken during the years of independence (1960-1970)--best exemplified by Malian photographer Malick Sidibe, who was awarded a Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale of contemporary art in 2007. Conversely, for contemporary art critics and curators, African photography needs to compete with the West's most contemporary creations, as it is promoted by a young generation of artists that often come from the African Diaspora. Since their change of artistic direction in 2000, "manifesto" exhibitions such as Snap Judgments (2006) or the Bamako Photography Festival have favored such a tendency, which is still underrepresented on the continent. This said, in some of Africa's big cities, art centers (such as the Centre for Contemporary Art in Lagos) or very dynamic schools (such as the CFP Association centre in Bamako) can be found. They foster new talent who want to conquer the international art market from home.