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3 Photographers Open Windows into 6 African Cities

Works from Nigerian artist Akinbode Akinbiyi, Malian artist Seydou Camara, and Ivorian artist Ananias Léki Dago take center stage at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

"Alexandra Township," from the series Shebeen Blues, 2008 (negative); 2015 (print). Ananias Léki Dago, Ivorian, born 1970. Galatin silver print, approximate: 24 x 20 inches (61 x 50.8 cm), Courtesy of the artist, © Ananias Leki Dago.

As a way to understand how contemporary art has developed across Africa, the Philadelphia Museum of Art has dedicated an entire season of shows to a wide array of African artists. Five exhibitions, all currently on display under the Creative Africa banner, explore fashion, art, design, and more. The contemporary photography exhibition, Three Photographers/Six Cities, presents the continent through many of the varying local cultural traditions of its oldest and biggest cities. It features the photography of Nigerian artist Akinbode Akinbiyi, Malian artist Seydou Camara, and Ivorian artist Ananias Léki Dago.

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"Untitled (Lagos, Nigeria)," 2004. Akinbode Akinbiyi, Nigerian (born England), born 1946. Inkjet print, approx: 33 7/16 x 25 9/16 inches (85 x 65 cm), Courtesy of the artist, © Akinbode, Akinbiyi.

"I wanted to find work that hadn't been seen here,” explains exhibition curator Peter Barberie to The Creators Project. "I wanted to figure out how to engage with Philadelphia about contemporary African art today. He adds, “Photography is a really important medium for a lot of African artists working today. It seemed to me that talking about cities was a start because we don't think about big African cities when we think of Africa as a continent." The show, he says, is “a way to show places most Americans haven't seen, and what we have in common. People who live in American cities will find most of what's on view kind of familiar."

The photography exhibition is a survey that spans enough of the continent to matter-of-factly establish that there are indeed localized concerns and peculiarities within each African nation. It individualizes the many who make up the vast continent, and brings into focus differences and similarities from city to city, Africa and beyond. Thematically, the exhibition seems to forge connections between urban centers everywhere by using African cities as a springboard. "Some of the cities are very ancient, some are 200 years old, and some are even more recent than that,” explains Barberie. But the six cities all “show the long history of urbanity on the African continent.”

"Untitled," 2009. Seydou Camara, Malian, born 1983. Inkjet print, Image: 13 ⅝ x 18 ⅛ inches (34.6 x 46 cm) Sheet: 14 1/8/ x 18 5/8/ inches (35.9 x 47.3 cm). Courtesy of the artist, © Seydou Camara.

Seydou Camara's photographs of Timbuktu, which are of manuscripts more than they are of the city, use artifacts to explore urban culture in the centuries-old transnational intellectual center. In “Untitled,” 2009 a man grips a set of manuscripts, visualizing connections between the past and present. Shebeen Blues, Ananias Léki Dago’s photo series of Johannesburg’s unlicensed bars, where locals gather to form community, depict, in black-and-white, the stresses, strains, and ecstasies of city living. Akinbode Akinbiyi’s black-and-whites of Africa’s largest cities strike a similar tone. “Untitled (Cairo, Egypt),” for instance, and "Untitled (Lagos, Nigeria)," respectively, capture both the bustles and stillnesses that fill metropolitan street life.

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In this show, the exploration of African urbanity highlights three male photographers. The ways their interests, generations, and nationalities shape their depictions are evident. Despite the diversity of cities and perspectives, however, the omission of female photographers from the representation of contemporary African city life tempers some of the wonderment. The museum showcases a few of the en vogue photographs of South African artist and activist Zanele Muholi in the lobby of its main building, but they're dislocated from Three Photographers/Six Cities. It leaves one to wonder, what do African women want us to see?

"Orlando East, Soweto," from the series Shebeen Blues, 2007 (negative); 2015 (print). Ananias Léki Dago, Ivorian, born 1970. Galatin silver print, approximate: 24 x 20 inches (61 x 50.8 cm), Courtesy of the artist, © Ananias Leki Dago.

“I see this [exhibition] as a first engagement,” explains Barberie. “I wasn't trying to be comprehensive in any way. I hope that the selection of these six cities that are quite far ranging on the continent and talk about the countries they are a part of, even in a small way, helps to frame the differences.” He says, “You can see the cultural differences of each place. I really wanted to go in depth with these photographers whose work I believe in deeply."

Three Photographers/Six Cities continues through September 25 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Click here for more information.

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