The African Gaze

Photography, Cinema and Power

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An accessible yet critical introduction to African photography and cinema from the mid-20th century to the present day

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 Sidibe, Sanle Sory and Seydou Keita, have become highly collectible in the art market, while African cinema, pioneered by filmmakers such as Ousmane Sembene 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.

Features interviews with Samuel Fosso and Souleymane Cisse.
Extent: 288 pp
Format: Quarterbound (no jacket)
Illustrations: 280
Publication date: 07/25/2024
Size: 28.0 x 22.3 cm
ISBN: 9780500025390

Press Reviews

An important and timely edition ... a fantastic introduction to an area that has been all too often overlooked ... highly recommended
Amateur Photography

A meticulously crafted archival compilation, The African Gaze allows readers to understand the postcolonial circumstances that forged these photographers and filmmakers
Harper's Bazaar

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
Musee


About the Author

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.

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