Seydou Keita
July 28, 2008 – 4:16 pmWhat an experience. I have just seen an exhibition by Seydou Keïta.
Seydou Keïta was one of the most celebrated West African photographers. From his studio in the centre of Bamako, Mali, located behind the prison, K eïta took about 20,000 portraits between 1949 and 1963. With a Brownie in one hand and keen eye he produced some of the most arresting portraits I have ever laid my eyes on.
‘A photograph is a souvenir, a work of art, and a document’, Keïta said. At the peak of his career, hundreds of people queued outside his studio every day.