Malick Sidibe.

The new episode of the podcast titled «People and events aren’t accidents» is dedicated to a profound figure in world-class photography, the first ever photographer to receive a Venice biennale «Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement» in 2007 – Malick Sidibé. He captured the lifetime of an entire generation of young Africans in the age of turbulent social, cultural, and political reforms in the wake of Mali gaining independence from French colonial rule in 1960. Sidibé, nicknamed «The Eye of Bamako», produced thousands of photographs which became a sort of a chronicle of euphoric attitudes spreading throughout his country. Thanks to his black-and-white photographs he had captured the African culture of 1960s – 1970s for the world to witness. In contrast to his western colleagues showing chiefly hunger and poverty, Malick Sidibé depicted a carefree life full of optimism and hope.

Featured in the podcast are:

Alexey Loginov, historian of photography, collector, CVC BÉTON cofounder and art director.
Olga Michi, photoartist, collector, CVC BÉTON cofounder.
Vladimir Sumashedov, stage director.
Igo Lassana Diarra, Galerie Médina (Bamako, Mali) director, Editions Balani’s Publishing founder, curator of national and international exhibits, 12th African biennale of photography Bamako Encounters managing director, Malick Sidibé’s art producer.

In this episode, accompanied by the aforementioned experts, we shall:

Discover how a young painter in the making opened his own photostudio which everyone dreamed of visiting, and why no party in town started without Malick Sidibé.
Analyse why studio photographs, simple at first glance and originally intended for a family album, came to be considered works of photographic art by art historians.
Speak about Sidibé’s unique style—sincere and dynamic,—and about why he preferred black-and-white and did not adopt colour photography.
Learn how a chance exhibit in New York led to worldwide recognition: a «Golden Lion» in Venice and the inclusion of the «Nuit de Noël» photograph into Time’s «100 most influential photographs of all time».
Consider the influence of his art on the development of African photography.
Additionally touch upon Malick’s unexpected ties to Russia and, of course, speak about the photographer himself: a humble, generous man whose home was dubbed «China» for frequently housing an inordinate amount of guests.