Mali master: Malick Sidibé’s lesser-known photographs are showcased in New York

Malick Sidibe, the photographer from Bamako in Mali, is opening his sixth solo exhibition at the Jack Shainman Gallery in New York – simply titled ‘Malick Sidibe’. Known, and lauded, for both his formal portrait work and candid shots of soirees and nightclubs, this show will chronicle the living master’s métier.

The show combines an assortment of vintage and never-before-exhibited black and white prints, and speaks to the idea of freedom and identity in postcolonial Mali. His recent work, dubbed Vue de Dos, 2001–, and also on display here, comprises women turned with their bare backs to the camera, and so heralds a shift in the artist’s career.

’I have always wanted to present lesser-known works by Malick Sidibé,’ says Jack Shainman from the gallery. ’ Our exhibition will feature a selection of street scenes, many that have never before been exhibited. It is incredible to trace the same focused intensity that Malick is able to capture across all his varied subjects.’

Sidibe is prolific and constantly collected in private and public institutions across the globe – including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Getty Museum. The artist has also received numerous accolades including the International Center of Photography Infinity Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2008, the Hasselblad Award in 2003, and the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement Award by the board of the 2007 Venice Biennale, when he was included in the Robert Storr-curated exhibition ’Think with the Senses, Feel with the Mind: Art in the Present Tense’.