BIN-BIN SERIES
Douala,Cameroon
Angèle Etoundi Essamba was born in Douala and grew-up in Yaoundé. As a young girl, she went to Paris where she received her education. Later on she moved to the Netherlandswhere she trained at the Nederlandse Fotovakschool (Netherlands professional school of photography). She is a committed artist involved in her creative practice, in a reflection on the identity of the woman, in the respect of the individual, in the struggle for humanity. She lives and works with eyes wide open. For twenty eights years, she observes the world through the women she photographs.
Essamba has a long and recognized trajectory in realization of photographical register of black women. In her work, she breaks from stereotypical representations of an Africa torn by famines, epidemics and wars, instead celebrating the cultural richness and diversity of the continent.
The portraits of black women question the concepts of identity, alterity and cultural duality, in order to promote mutual respect, understanding and tolerance. Essamba draws on her history, influences, perspectives, and personal aesthetics to create. Her multicultural heritage has a deep influence on her photographs and has profoundly shaped her eye. Her work shows pride, strength and awareness. She presents a vision of Women, Africa and its culture.
“Essamba’s uses the human body as an aesthetic plain to represent the mental reality of exile and life between two cultures (…)” *
Etoundi Essamba gained international recognition with exhibitions all over the world. Her photographs were first displayed in 1985 at the Maison Descartes in Amsterdam. Exhibitions followed throughout the world (Africa, Europe, Asia, South America and the United States), and her work has appeared in a number of publications : Passion 1989, Contrasts 1995,Symboles 1999, Noirs 2001; La Métamorphose du sublime, 2003, Dialogue 2006, Voiles & Dévoilements, 2008, Africa Rising, 2010; I-dentity– Eye-dentity, 2010; Black & Red, beyond color, 2012 and is also part of several public and private collections.
* Joelle Buscat, Alters et ego in Femmes dans les Arts d’Afrique, Dapper Museum, Paris.
>via: http://essamba.com/index.php/about-the-artist/biography