Dynamic images from the MFAH photography collection take you to sub-Saharan Africa. Travel from Benin to Zimbabwe and beyond with artists who are linked by geography and whose work reflects the borderless territory of contemporary photography.
Through an African Lens: Sub-Saharan Photography explores a variety of artistic styles and expression from the 1950s to the present. The list of premier photographers from Africa is ever-growing, with artists from midcentury being given a place in the larger history of the medium. At the same time, contemporary practitioners are making their mark in an increasingly globalized culture.
The exhibition features photography from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Some 20 artists are represented, including Leonce Raphael Agbodjelou, Seydou Keïta, Baudouin Mouanda, Malick Sidibé, and Iké Udé.
Offering a small segment of the breadth of photography created in sub-Saharan Africa, these photographs address themes of personal identity, cultural traditions, modern aspirations, and social and political issues.
Through an African Lens connects with the FotoFest Biennial 2020: African Cosmologies and associated exhibitions and programs presented around Houston.
Words by The Museum of Fine Arts Houston
