Adama Sylla: Mécanique Poétique

La La Lande galleries and Talmart, located in the Beaubourg district in Paris, are joining forces to exhibit the Senegalese photographer Adama Sylla from 22 March to 22 April 2023. The photographs will be presented to the public for the first time in Paris, after having been shown in Saint-Louis du Sénégal in 2017 and in 2019 at the French Institute, in Dakar in 2020 at the Henriette-Bathily Women’s Museum and in Lyon in 2021 at the Regard Sud gallery.

Curated by Ange-Frédéric Koffi, this double exhibition will be held on two sites, articulating the monographic presentation of Adama Sylla:

• at Talmart gallery: a diversity of the photographer’s black and white works produced from 1960 to 1980 in Senegal, during the years of construction of a new independent country whose president Senghor made culture a major political lever;
• at La La Lande gallery: the extension of the monographic section with a focus on the series of wrestlers, as well as under glass paintings by the artist, Ilyes Messaoudi.

“Sylla’s work is part of this visual {{I:mechanicism of testimony to a societal evolution}}. It does not offer a definite answer, because although it does not seek to be didactic, it gives those interested in it the opportunity to complete a fragmented knowledge of photography in Africa. For yeas, Sylla is one of those important figures in the history of African photography. He contributes to the understanding of the continent and highlights the sophistication of Senegalese culture. Continuing his archiving by being attentive to the bodies, the looks, the lines and the details that compose these images, Adama Sylla is not in an aesthetic relationship. He captures the personal stories that surround him. Through his relentless practice, he develops his own style and above all he reveals the universal truths and forms that unite us. He goes beyond technique and focuses on the act of capturing a collection of moments,” says Ange-Frédéric Koffi, curator of the exhibition.

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