CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 2/8/2020

When Black History Month meets NY Fashion Week… Sanlé Sory: Volta Photo

Featured image is reproduced from Sanlé Sory: Volta Photo, published by Steidl and the Art Institute of Chicago. In this portrait, Kouloubi, a girlfriend of the photographer around 1960–65, is wearing a dress boldly printed with portraits of pan-African revolutionary leader Sékou Touré, the first president of Guinea. In addition to the 100 black-and-white photographs collected in this choice volume, there are numerous historical essays and an epic interview with Sanlé himself. When asked what more he would like to see for his photographs—which only recently became known outside of West Africa—Sanlé replies, "I want them to bring us all happiness, prosperity, and health, and for us to have a long life so we may enjoy to the fullest. I regret having burned so many photos—I've said so. You buy gasoline, pour it on, and they burn."