The Bamako Biennale for Photography is held until January 31, 2018. Every two years, the African photographic festival awards several prizes. This year, four laureates were honored.
The jury was composed of Senegalese Koyo Kouoh (founder and director of Raw Material Company and Raw Material Academy), South African Ingrid Masondo (curator of photography and new media at Iziko South African National Gallery), Nigerian Emeka Ogboh (Artist and co-founder of Video Art Net work (VAN) and Malian Moussa Ouane (director, former director general of the National Film Center of Mali).
The Seydou Keïta Prize – Grand Prix of the Bamako Encounters was awarded to South African Athi-Patra Ruga. His photographic work ‘explores the boundaries between fashion, performance and contemporary art and confronts bodies with structures, ideologies and politics’. He receives a grant of 5,000 euros.
French visual artist and poet Julien Creuzet is awarded the Prize of the Organization Internationale de la Francophonie. His work deals with ‘Caribbean geographies and heritages, through installations made up of composite ensembles (aggregates of objects, photographs, videos)’. A grant of 3,000 euros will allow him to start or continue a project of his choice.
Fethi Sahraoui, an Algerian self-taught photographer, received the Léon l’Africain prize, worth 2,000 euros and sponsored by the Royal Air Maroc. This prize is awarded to an artist residing on the African continent and questioning realities and social difficulties.
As for the South African photographer Gabrielle Goliath, the Prize of the French / African Institute in Creations / Jury Prize is given to her. ‘Her work takes a critical look at his country’s social concerns, especially gender and violence against women.’
