The African Gaze: Photography, Cinema and Power
The African Gaze is a comprehensive exploration of postcolonial and contemporary photography and cinema from Africa. Drawing from archival imagery and documents, interviews with the photographers and filmmakers (in some cases family members/close associates if the artist is deceased), and contributions from writers, scholars, and curators, it maps a comprehensive introduction to African moving and still imagery.
This is a hugely important and timely publication--engagement with Black and African histories is stronger than ever before (and long overdue). The major names of African photography, such as Malick Sidibé, Sanlé Sory, and Seydou Keïta, have become highly collectible in the art market, while African cinema, pioneered by filmmakers such as Ousmane Sembène in 1960s Senegal, is now recognized for its creative innovation and storytelling.
For anyone drawn to African photography and film, this book will provide an exciting and accessible overview.
Featuring interviews with Samuel Fosso and Souleymane Cissé.
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Amy Sall is a writer, independent researcher, and collector-archivist based in New York. She is the founding editor of SUNU: Journal of African Affairs, Critical Thought + Aesthetics, a pan-African, post-disciplinary platform exploring the artistic, cultural, and intellectual production of Africa and the diaspora across time and space. Amy holds a master's degree in human rights studies from Columbia University. As a Part-time Lecturer at The New School, New York, she conceived and taught two courses, "The African Gaze: Visual Culture of Postcolonial Africa and the Social Imagination" and "Third Cinema & the Counter Narratives." Her private collection, The Sall Collection, is an assemblage of studio and other vernacular photography, printed matter, and ephemera with a pan-African focus. Amy's work and interests explore the theory and praxis of cultural sovereignty, cultural preservation, anti-/de-/post-coloniality, human rights, visual culture, and the archive.
A meticulously crafted archival compilation, The African Gaze allows readers to understand the postcolonial circumstances that forged these photographers and filmmakers.-- "Harper's Bazaar" (9/11/2024 12:00:00 AM)
Packed with authoritative insight . . . An essential, encyclopedic study of African image-makers.-- "BookPage" (11/1/2024 12:00:00 AM)
A most welcome overview of some of the richness produced by photographers and filmmakers from Africa . . . One of the most interesting aspects of looking through the book is understanding the many shared sensibilities between the photographers, since it connects the known names with the lesser known ones and their background.-- "Conscientious Photography Magazine" (9/16/2024 12:00:00 AM)
A spellbinding journey into the history and significance of pan-African art . . . It reveals photography as a powerful mechanism for expressing African subjectivities while also providing a visual library for understanding the influence and significance of postcolonial representations.-- "Musée" (9/5/2024 12:00:00 AM)
An incredible resource for knowledge on some of the most impactful filmmakers and photographers from the continent.-- "NBC Select" (9/30/2024 12:00:00 AM)
Sall draws on her background in human rights and cultural studies to show how artistic expression in photography and cinema has sparked discussions on African history, identity, power dynamics, and representation . . . With its beautiful design and a wealth of accessible material, including 280 photographs, this book is a valuable resource for contemporary art history collections and a must-read for those interested in African photography and film.-- "Library Journal"
An impressive overview of pan-African artistic expression through the work of 25 photographers and 25 filmmakers . . . Gorgeous [and] significant.-- "Shelf Awareness, 2024 Gift Books selection" (11/5/2024 12:00:00 AM)
A well-written and visually striking introduction to African photography and cinema . . . An excellent addition to academic library collections and a strong reference source for African art courses.-- "Choice" (1/1/2025 12:00:00 AM)
