Centrepiece of the show is a series of original chemises, coloured sheets of card on which Sidibé pasted small prints of the photos he took at parties and events in Bamako, the capital of Mali. Partygoers were able to view and order copies of photos after the event. The chemises displayed here date from between 1962 and 1973. They are accompanied by numerous portraits taken by Sidibé in the 1970s at his studio in Bagadadji, a working-class area of Bamako. Together the displays offer a unique and often heart-warming insight into Malinese society in the early years following independence.
In the mid-1970s, Sidibé moved into a new area of work, confining himself to studio portraiture and the repair of cameras. Over 1,000 of his chemises have survived. Some have been bought up by private collectors, but most still remain at Studio Malick in Bamako. This collection is a unique historical record of Malinese society.
The exhibition will be opened, in the presence of Malick Sidibé, on june the 12th of June at 17.30.