THE ART WORLD IS LYING TO YOU: ICONIC PHOTOGRAPHS OF AFRICA ERASED BY WESTERN OBSESSION. A so-called “untitled” portrait of two women in Mali has been held up as a symbol of “dignity and power.” But a SHOCKING truth lurks beneath the surface: this image, by photographer Seydou Keïta, is not a celebration of independence—it’s a VICTIM of it. Western institutions have IMPRISONED Keïta’s work, FORCING it to stand in for ALL of “African photography” in a grotesque, reductive hagiography. The vibrant *boubou* robes, the defiant gazes—they are now mere EXOTIC PROPS in a global art market desperate for token diversity.
“Untitled,” late nineteen-forties to mid-seventies.
Insiders are now EXPOSING the UGLY reality: Bamako, once a cardinal site of image production, has been CANNIBALIZED by its own success. The very biennale meant to celebrate African photography now serves as a feeding ground for curators seeking a single, palatable narrative. Keïta’s “radiant defiance” has been systematically NEUTERED, turned into a safe, aesthetic commodity. This isn’t preservation—it’s a CULTURAL HEIST. The West applauds itself for “discovering” these photographers while simultaneously SHRINKING an entire continent’s artistic legacy into a handful of marketable frames. Their audacious presence is now a silent scream against the cage of Western appreciation.
“Untitled,” 1952-55.
Author: Kayitsi.com
