Soirée Marriage Drissa Balo, 1967
Gelatin silver print (printed 1998)
Image size: 14 ½ × 9 ½ in.
Frame size: 22 × 16 ½ in.
Signed, titled, and dated on bottom recto
July 1, 2024
In 1958 Malick Sidibé opened his photography studio in Bamako, Mali's capital and largest city. Consequently, when Mali gained its independence from France in 1962, Sidibé was on hand to photograph a revolution in the country’s youth culture. Western music had an enormous influence on the spirit and style of the country’s youthful gatherings, as evidenced here by the young man's proud display of a 1960s era 7-inch single from RCA Victor, the American record company which released records ranging from jazz players such as J.J. Johnson to rock and rollers like Elvis Presley. Sidibé's photographs are wonderful documents of this exuberant period of decolonization, celebrating the way music, fashion, and dance can translate across cultures, expressing our common desire for freedom and happiness.
This print was made in 1998, at a time when Sidibé was just beginning to achieve wider visibility, revisiting some of his best photographs to make prints like this one for his newly global audience.
