A. galerie and its owner Arnaud Adida are presenting a curated selection of photographs by renowned African photographer Sory Sanlé. Born Ibrahima Sory Sanlé in 1943 in Nianiagara, Burkina Faso, the artist lives and works in Bobo-Dioulasso, where he has documented decades of cultural transformation in his homeland.

Sanlé began his photography career in Bobo-Dioulasso in 1960, the same year his country gained independence from France and became the Republic of Upper Volta. As a young apprentice working under a Ghanaian mentor, he learned the fundamentals of working in a photographic chamber before mastering the processes of developing and printing his own images. Following the tradition of many African photographers of his generation, Sanlé chose to work with the 6x6 format.

The photographer had the unique opportunity to witness and document the rapid evolution of Bobo-Dioulasso, which served as the cultural and economic capital of Upper Volta at the time. Through his lens, he captured the fascinating clash between modern life and the centuries-old traditions of this culturally rich and predominantly rural region. His early career involved documenting traffic accidents on highways in and around Bobo, traveling throughout the region on his motorcycle to reach various locations.

By the mid-1960s, Sanlé had established his own studio called Volta Photo, which quickly became recognized as the premier photography studio in the city. Completely devoted to his craft, he lived by his personal philosophy that "the more you love something, the more you invest yourself in its passion." His diverse career encompassed roles as a journalist, record cover illustrator, and official photographer, but he was most renowned for his skillful work as a studio photographer.

Sanlé's energetic and passionate approach to portraying the people of Bobo-Dioulasso set him apart from his contemporaries. His background paintings were particularly exceptional and distinctive, featuring scenes of modern cities, beach promenades, airplanes, and ancient columns that were unlike those used by any other photographer in his country. Whether his subjects posed motionless or moved playfully during shoots, his photographs captured the unique character of African cities situated in the landlocked heart of the continent, often conveying both remoteness and melancholy.

His work also brilliantly evoked the youthful exuberance that characterized the first decades following African independence. Sanlé's intelligent approach to photography naturally captured the fusion between tradition and modernity that defined his era. His black and white images truly celebrated what many consider a golden age of African photography, a period that preceded the widespread adoption of the 24x36 format and common color films that contributed to what renowned photographer William Eggleston called "the democratic forest" – an endless dilution of photographic images in public spaces.

Despite being relatively unknown, forgotten, or misunderstood by broader audiences, the golden age of Voltaic photography finds its perfect embodiment in Sory Sanlé's work. His images, carefully preserved over many decades, serve as powerful testimony to a unique period of social and cultural dynamism in Burkina Faso. Characterized by a natural elegance, his photographs of Bobo-Dioulasso reflect the universal truth expressed in Renoir's famous observation that "what is the most local is the most universal."

The exhibition is being held at A.galerie, located at 4, rue Léonce Reynaud in Paris's 16th arrondissement. More information about the gallery and the exhibition can be found at www.a-galerie.fr.