Malick Sidibé Explained

Birth Place:Soloba, Mali
Death Place:Bamako, Mali
Occupation:Photographer
Awards:Hasselblad Award
Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement

Malick Sidibé (1935 – 14 April 2016)[1] was a Malian photographer from a Fulani village in Soloba,[2] [3] who was noted for his black-and-white studies of popular culture in the 1960s in Bamako.[4] [5] [6] Sidibé had a long and fruitful career as a photographer in Bamako, Mali, and was a well-known figure in his community. In 1994 he had his first exhibition outside of Mali and received much critical praise for his carefully composed portraits. Sidibé's work has since become well known and renowned on a global scale.[7] His work was the subject of a number of publications and exhibited throughout Europe and the United States. In 2007, he received a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Biennale,[8] becoming both the first photographer[6] and the first African so recognized.[9] Other awards he has received include a Hasselblad Award for photography in 2003,[10] an International Center of Photography Infinity Award for Lifetime Achievement (2008),[11] and a World Press Photo award (2010).[12]

Sidibé's work is held in the collections of The Contemporary African Art Collection (CAAC),[13] the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles,[14] and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.[15]

Life and work

Sidibé was born in the village of Soloba, 300 km from Bamako, in Mali. His father was a Fula stock breeder, farmer, and skilled hunter named Kolo Barry Sidibé. Malick's father had wanted him to attend school, but passed before he was able to attend at the age of 16.[16] In 1955 photographer Gérard Guillat came to the school looking for a student to decorate his studio, eventually hiring Sidibé. Guillat was impressed with his work and took him on as an apprentice. Sidibé's first tasks included calibrating equipment, and delivering prints. He soon learned more about photography as he assisted Guillat, and eventually took on his own clients. In 1957 Guillat closed his studio, and Sidibé began taking photographs of Bamako nightlife.[17] He specialized in documentary photography, focusing particularly on the youth culture of the Malian capital.[18] Sidibé took photographs at sport events, the beach, nightclubs, concerts, and even tagged along while the young men seduced girls.[5] [9] He increasingly became noted for his black-and-white studies of popular culture in the 1960s in Bamako. In the 1970s, Sidibé turned towards the making of studio portraits. His background in drawing became useful:

As a rule, when I was working in the studio, I did a lot of the positioning. As I have a background in drawing, I was able to set up certain positions in my portraits. I didn't want my subjects to look like mummies. I would give them positions that brought something alive in them.[11]

In 1962, Sidibé opened his own studio in the Bagadadji neighborhood or Bamako. Sidibé continued to take photos of the surprise parties and club gatherings of the city until 1976. He attributed ending his career in reportagé to fewer club parties, rise in availability of affordable cameras, and the growth of the auto-lab film development industry. Sidibé continued to shoot black and white studio portraits, ID photos, and fix broken cameras at his Bamako studio. While Sidibé was locally famous for decades, he was not introduced into the Western fine art world until 1994 when he had a chance encounter with French curator André Magnin. One of the best known of Sidibé's works from that time is Nuit de Noel, Happy Club (Christmas Eve, Happy Club) (1963), depicting a smiling couple — the man in a suit, the woman in a Western party dress (but barefoot) and both dancing, presumably, to music.[18] And it was images like these that revealed how Sidibé's photographic style was inextricably linked to music. This connection is something that Sidibé had spoken about during interviews, over the years.[19] It is perhaps no surprise that other Malian artists, such as the musicians Salif Keita and Ali Farka Touré, also came to international attention in the 1990s at almost the same moment as Malian photography was being recognized.[20] [21]

Sidibé used flash when out in the field, but only tungsten lighting in the studio. He used an Agfa 6 x 6 camera with bellows to shoot weddings and more formal events, and a Foca Sport 24 x 36 for his more candid work. He was known as a very charming person and would tell his clients jokes to put them at ease while shooting portraits.The Grammy award-winning video of Janet Jackson's 1997 song "Got 'til It's Gone" is strongly indebted to the photographic style of Sidibé,[23] and the video pays tribute to a particular time (during the 1960s and '70s)[24] [25] that Sidibé's pictures had helped to document. This was the time period just after the French Sudan (and then the Mali Federation) had gained Independence from France in 1960. This new era (post-1960) has, subsequently, been characterized by various observers as a post-colonial (and post-apartheid) awakening of consciousness. Many of those who admire Sidibé's work believe that he somehow captured the joy and wonder of this awakening, and that it is seen in the faces, scenes, and images that he helped to illuminate.[19] [26] [27] More recently, Sidibé's influence can be seen directly through Inna Modja's 2015 video for her song "Tombouctou",[5] [27] as it was filmed in Sidibé's photography studio.

In 2006, Tigerlily Films made a documentary entitled Dolce Vita Africana about Sidibé, filming him at work in his studio in Bamako, having a reunion with many of his friends (and former photographic subjects) from his younger days, and speaking to him about his work.[28]

Sidibé became the first African and the first photographer to be awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Biennale in 2007. Robert Storr, the show's artistic director, said:

Sidibé died[24] of complications from diabetes in Bamako.[6] [29] He was survived by 17 children and three wives.

Publications

Publications by Sidibé

Publications with contributions by Sidibé

Publications about Sidibé

Awards

Collections

Sidibé's work is held in the following public collections:

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

Group exhibitions and festivals

Film and television appearances

Notes

  1. Web site: Disparition du photographe malien Malick Sidibé par Le Quotidien de l'Art. Le Quotidien de l'Art. 15 April 2016. 2016-04-14.
  2. Web site: Malick Sidibe Biography & Facts Britannica . www.britannica.com . en.
  3. Web site: Malick Sidibé . The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation.
  4. News: Malian photographer Malick Sidibé dies aged 80. 15 April 2016 . 16 April 2016 . Nancy . Groves . . London .
  5. News: Malick Sidibé: Creative Force of African Culture. 11 April 2016 . 16 April 2016 . Fayemi . Shakur . .
  6. News: In Memoriam: Malick Sidibé (1936 – 2016). 15 April 2016 . 16 April 2016 . Olivier . Laurent . .
  7. Touré, A. Chab (26 August 2016), "Midnight in Bamako: In search of the late Malick Sidibé and the rhythmic roots of his legendary photographs", Aperture, Issue 224.
  8. Van Gelder, Lawrence (11 June 2007), "Malian Photographer Honored at Biennale", The New York Times.
  9. BBC Staff (15 April 2016). Web site: Mali's pioneering photographer Malick Sidibe dies. BBC News.
  10. Web site: Previous Award Winners. 15 April 2016 . .
  11. Web site: Interview with Malick Sidibé . LensCulture. 2008.
  12. Web site: Arts and Entertainment, first prize singles. 16 April 2016 . World Press Photo.
  13. Web site: Malick Sidibé. 16 April 2016 . .
  14. Web site: Femme Peul du Niger. 16 April 2016 . .
  15. Web site: Malick Sidibé: Malian, 1936–2016. 16 April 2016 . .
  16. Web site: Malik Sidibé: Mali Twist Exhibition . Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain.
  17. Lamuniere, Michelle, Malick Sidibe, and Lia Brozga. "Ready to Wear: A conversation with Malick Sidibe", Transition 10, no. 4 (2001): 132–159.
  18. Schwendener, Martha (27 February 2014), "The Young and the Rebellious: A Review of 'Malick Sidibé: Chemises' in Poughkeepsie", The New York Times.
  19. Web site: Malick Sidibe & Janet Jackson. Musings of a Gemini Girl.
  20. Schwendener, Martha (8 February 2013), "Portraits of a Continent's Vitality, Past and Present", The New York Times.
  21. Web site: An appreciation: Malick Sidibé, 1936–2016. Sean . O'Hagan . The Guardian. 16 April 2016.
  22. Web site: Remembering Malick Sidibé, Who Photographed the Look of a Changing West Africa. Rebecca . Bengal. Vogue. 15 April 2016.
  23. Web site: Malick Sidibé, Iconic Malian Photographer, Has Died. Hillary . Crosley Coker. Jezebel. 15 April 2016 .
  24. Web site: In memoriam: Malick Sidibe's photographs captured the style and history of a newly independent Mali. C.B.. 16 April 2016. The Economist.
  25. Web site: Malick Sidibé . M+B Photo.
  26. Web site: Master Photographer Malick Sidibé Dead at 80. CraveOnline.
  27. Web site: Malick Sidibé's Work Will Live On After Death. Aaron. Leaf. 15 April 2016. Okayafrica. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160507193443/http://www.okayafrica.com/news/malick-sidibe-iconic-malian-photographer/. 7 May 2016. dmy-all.
  28. Web site: Dolce Vita Africana. African Film Festival Inc..
  29. News: Malick Sidibé, Photographer Known for Social Reportage in Mali, Dies at 80. Grimes. William. 2016-04-15. The New York Times. 0362-4331. 2016-04-27.
  30. Book: Malick Sidibé : photographs.. 55012477.
  31. Book: Chemises. 229995192.
  32. Book: The poetics of cloth : African textiles, recent art . WorldCat. 271451627.
  33. Book: Malian portrait photography . WorldCat. 840267063.
  34. The text can be read here within the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts website.
  35. Web site: Malick Sidibé. 6 June 2020. The Art Institute of Chicago. en.
  36. http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2015/in-and-out-of-the-studio In and Out of the Studio: Photographic Portraits from West Africa
  37. Web site: Malick Sidibé. SFMOMA.
  38. Web site: BMA Voices: The Boxer..
  39. Web site: Malick Sidibe - Jack Shainman Gallery.
  40. http://studiomuseum.org/exhibition/permanent-collection/malick-sidib-untitled Permanent Collection: Untitled, c. 1974| The Studio Museum in Harlem
  41. http://studiomuseum.org/exhibition/permanent-collection/malick-sidibe-groupe-de-barbus Permanent Collection: Groupe de Barbus| The Studio Museum in Harlem
  42. Web site: Nuit de Noël. International Center of Photography.
  43. Web site: Malick Sidibé. International Center of Photography.
  44. Web site: Fantastic donations of photographic art. Moderna Museet i Stockholm. 15 February 2011.
  45. Web site: Keita, Sidibé and Fosso. Moderna Museet i Stockholm.
  46. Web site: The Museum of Fine Arts Houston Collections. June 13, 2020.
  47. Web site: Galerie du jour agnès b.: Les artistes: Malick Sidibé . Galerie du jour agnès . 5 October 2017.
  48. Web site: Dany Keller Galerie - Archiv. danykellergalerie.de. 5 October 2017.
  49. Web site: Malick Sidibé. Afronova Gallery.
  50. Web site: Malick Sidibe / Photographs: 1960–2004 :: JACK SHAINMAN GALLERY. Jack Shainman gallery. Designed by StudioRadia. Web-development by Unlabeled. studio.. www.jackshainman.com. 5 October 2017.
  51. Web site: FIFTY ONE Fine Art Photography Gallery – Exhib. Fifty One – past. www.gallery51.com. 5 October 2017.
  52. Web site: musée Nicéphore Niépce – Malick Sidibé. www.museeniepce.com. 5 October 2017.
  53. Web site: Hoare, Tristan . L'oeil de Bamako . 1841 Magazine . 22 June 2017.
  54. Web site: MALICK SIDIBE, MARCH 28 – APRIL 26, 2014. www.jackshainman.com. 5 October 2017.
  55. Web site: FIFTY ONE Fine Art Photography Gallery - Exhib. Fifty One Too - past. www.gallery51.com. 5 October 2017.
  56. Web site: Malick Sidibé: The Eye of Modern Mali . . 21 October 2016.
  57. News: Exhibition of Malick Sidibé photography to open in London. 27 July 2016 . 21 October 2016 . Mark . Brown . The Guardian. London .
  58. Web site: FIFTY ONE Fine Art Photography Gallery – Exhib. Fifty One – past. www.gallery51.com. 5 October 2017.
  59. Web site: Photography: Inaugural Installation – MoMA. The Museum of Modern Art. 5 October 2017.
  60. Web site: The Studio Museum in Harlem. www.studiomuseum.org. 2018-10-30.
  61. Web site: National Museum of African Art – African Art Now: Masterpieces from the Jean Pigozzi Collection – Introduction. africa.si.edu. 5 October 2017.
  62. Web site: Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli Why Africa? La collezione Pigozzi.
  63. Web site: FIFTY ONE Fine Art Photography Gallery - Exhib. Fifty One – past. www.gallery51.com. 5 October 2017.
  64. Web site: Some Tribes. Christophe Guye Galerie. 5 October 2017.
  65. Web site: Exhibition Archive – Art Gallery of Hamilton. 5 October 2017.
  66. Web site: Un rêve utile. BOZAR. 5 October 2017.
  67. Web site: Paris Photo 2011 – review: Grand Palais, Paris . The Guardian. 12 November 2011 . 18 April 2016 . Sean . O'Hagan .
  68. Web site: Afrika, hin und zurück - Museum Folkwang. BOROS.INTERAKTIV. GmbH. Museum Folkwang. 5 October 2017.
  69. Web site: Gaze – Changing Face of Portrait Photography – İstanbul Modern. ISTANBUL MODERN, ISTANBUL MUSEUM OF MODERN. ART. www.istanbulmodern.org. 5 October 2017.
  70. Web site: Barbican - Everything Was Moving: Photography from the 60s and 70s. barbican.org.uk.
  71. Web site: Mariane Ibrahim Gallery – Back to Front, J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere and Malick Sidibe. marianeibrahim.com. 5 October 2017.
  72. Web site: Ici l'Afrique. www.penthes.ch. 5 October 2017.
  73. Web site: FIFTY ONE Fine Art Photography Gallery – Exhib. Fifty One – past. gallery51.com. 5 October 2017.
  74. Web site: Making Africa – Museo Guggenheim Bilbao. Making Africa – Museo Guggenheim Bilbao. 5 October 2017.
  75. Web site: VIVRE !! - Musée national de l'histoire de l'immigration. www.histoire-immigration.fr. 5 October 2017.
  76. Web site: Regarding Africa: Contemporary Art and Afro-Futurism, Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Regarding Africa: Contemporary Art and Afro-Futurism. 5 October 2017.
  77. Web site: Mariane Ibrahim Gallery – BACK STORIES. marianeibrahim.com. 5 October 2017.
  78. Web site: Scheda mostra. www.fmcca.it. 5 October 2017.
  79. Web site: Rhona Hoffman Gallery. siebrenv.easycgi.com. 5 October 2017.
  80. Web site: Through an African Lens: Sub-Saharan Photography from the Museum’s Collection. 14 June 2020. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Further reading

External links