Book of the Week: A Pick by Forrest Soper

Volta Photo: 1965–85. By Sory Sanlé.   Reel Art Press/Morton-Hill, 2017.

Forrest Soper selects Volta Photo: 1965–85.  by Sory Sanlé from Reel Art Press/Morton-Hill as Book of the Week.

"Volta Photo: 1965-85 is the first monograph by the Burkinabé photographer Ibrahima Sory Sanlé. Sanlé was born in 1943, and began photography as a teenager in 1960, the same year that the Republic of Upper Volta, now known as Burkina Faso, gained its independence. Shooting with a Rolleiflex, Sanlé created thousands of portraits, documents, and album covers over the course of his career. Largely unknown outside of his home country, Sanlé recived little international recognition until Florent Mazzoleni, a French record producer, began working with the artist and curated Sanlé’s first exhibition in 2013.

While it would be easy to dismiss Sanlé’s photography as another Maier-esque outsider whose work was not “discovered” until the end of their career, to do so would be disingenuous to the importance of the work itself. For over half a century Sanlé documented the culture of an emerging nation in the heart of Africa. With the elegance of Irving Penn, the regional specificity of Mike Disfarmer, and the cultural importance of August Sander, Sory Sanlé captured the people and culture of Burkino Faso in a way unlike any other photographer. With his hand-painted backdrops, Sanlé would bring his mobile studio wherever he was needed, which quickly made him one of the region's most notable photographers.

Honest, simple, and undeniably fashionable, Sanlé’s photographs have moxie. Like Avedon or Newton, Sanlé’s images are unquestionably “cool,” however; Sanlé also has a playful tone in many of his frames. The images aren’t a stoic documentation, but rather a joyful celebration. Life permeates through these photographs and the result is radient.

Volta Photo: 1965-85 is a great introduction to this prolific photographer. With 40 photographs in the book, this publication just barely scratches the surface of a photographic legend in the making. Whether you are a fan of classic portraiture, or if you have an interest in African photography, this modest book is sure to intrigue and captivate."— Forrest Soper

Purchase Book

Volta Photo: 1965–85. By Sory Sanlé.  Reel Art Press/Morton-Hill, 2017.

Volta Photo: 1965–85. By Sory Sanlé.  Reel Art Press/Morton-Hill, 2017.