Flash Afrique!: Photography from West Africa - Softcover

Gerald Matt; Thomas Miessgang

Softcover

ISBN 10: 3882436387 ISBN 13: 9783882436389

Publisher: Steidl, 2002

Synopsis

Africa: Terra incognita? Heart of darkness? How about "stylish continent," as some magazine once wrote? The gigantic landmass that is Africa, over which a colonial shadow still looms, is a territory of projections and misunderstandings. It is also a theatre of war and a chamber for debate in which legions of ideologies argue for supremacy. "Africa," says Documenta 11 Artistic Director Okwui Enwezor, "must no longer be the psycho-sexual object of daydreams and nightmares of the Europeans," instead, the spotlight of Flash Afrique! focuses on a relatively little-known aspect of the art world that deserves to be brought out of this metaphoric colonial darkness and seen up close and in good light.
Layered and symbolic, the West African photographs illustrated and critically examined herein exist as fascinating and complex representations of a particular social reality. They tell stories about the tension between dreams and reality, between the production of desire and existing devastation. Elaborately arranged studio portraits reveal how Africa sees itself. Documentary images comment on the sheer craziness of overpopulated cities. And coversations with the photographers open up an art scene only recently begun to emerge from shadow.

About this title

Synopsis:

Africa: Terra incognita? The heart of darkness? Maybe even the "stylish continent", as one of those Zeitgeist mages once formulated? There still is a colonial shadow looming over the gigantic landmass, a territory of projections and misunderstandings. "Africa", says documenta director Okwui Enwezor, "must no longer be the psycho-sexual object of daydreams and nightmares of the Europeans." Flash Afrique! presents works of West African photographers which tell stories about the tension between dream and reality, between the background of desire production and existence's scene of devastation. The book on hand contains elaborately arranged studio portraits which have become a valuable reservoir of pictures of how Africa sees itself. And it shows documentary works which depict and comment on the sheer craziness and the existential getting out of hand in over-populated metropolisses. Conversations with the photographers and essays by Olu Oguibe, Simon Njami and Koyo Kouoh open up entries to an art scene which is just beginning to step out of the half-shadow of a fragmentary perception.

About this edition

• Publisher: Steidl
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 3882436387
• ISBN 13: 9783882436389
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 112