The son of a master shoemaker, Malian photographer Adama Kouyaté was born in the French Sudanese village of Bougouni (now Mali) in 1928. A contemporary of Malik Sidibé and Seydou Keïta, his introduction to photography occurred in 1946 when on Christmas day, he sat with a friend for a studio portrait in Bamako. The picture was so beautiful that from then on he dreamt of only one thing, becoming a photographer. When in 1947 he decided to learn photography, he approached the masters, learning from the likes of such photography pioneers as Bakary Doumbia and of course, Pierre Garnier, “the white master of West African photography” for whom, after much insistence, he became a laboratory assistant in his studio “Photo Hall Soudanais”.

In 1949, Adama Kouyaté opened his first studio, “Photo Hall Kati”, in Kati, near Bamako. In 1964, he left for Ouagadougou in Burkina, then in 1966 went to the Ivory Coast city of Bouaké. Finally, in 1969, he returned to Mali and settled in Ségou, located on the route to the Dogon. His studio, “Photo Hall d’Union”, located on the central commercial Elhadj Oumar Tall street, was an immediate success. At 82, Kouyaté continues to work there daily.

As is shown in the book “Adama Kouyaté Studios d’Afrique” published last fall by Gang books, the photographer never ceases to innovate in this tiny storefront space. In the heat of the spotlights, the photographer tries to communicate with his subject.
It is important to note that until the 1980’s, the studio was an obligatory rite of passage for people wanting to remember key times in their lives, most people didn’t own a personal camera.

A selection of those portraits taken between 1954 and 1971 are featured both in the book and on the walls of the Galerie Jean Brolly. This Parisian exhibition is a sort of revelation, revealing not only Adama Kouyaté’s similarities with his generation of Malian photographers, but also his distinctive personal style, setting him apart both technically and aesthetically.
Little changes that are particular to his work and make it singular.

From May 13 to 29, on the occasion of this premiere Parisian exhibition, Adama Kouyaté has installed a studio inside the Galerie Jean Brolly. In what can be called “Photo Hall Paris”, authentic backdrops and MMF Pro lighting spotlights equivalent to those used in his Malian studio were installed. There, with his “faithful Rolleiflex” loaded with Tri-X film, couples, families or individuals can have there pictures taken after having registered either on the gallery website or on location.

Bernard Perrine
Bernard.Perrine1@orange.fr

Exhibition
Amada Kouyaté- “Photo Hall Paris”
Photography 1954-1971
Until June 4 2011

Galerie Jean Brolly
16 rue de Montmorency
75003 Paris

Book
Studios d’Afrique
Bilingual Text: Amadou Chab Touré
Éditions Gang 130 pages format 240×249mm