By Nii B. Andrews.
The extensive 1930s photo archives of the Center Pompidou and the Bibliotheque Kandinsky are being evaluated in a landmark exhibition in Paris.
The exhibition titled UNFRAMING COLONIALISM is currently on show at the Center Pompidou until February 27 next year.
There is a profound engagement with the photographs on display by the curatorial team thus providing a critical and enlightening viewing experience.
Significant and relevant contexts are provided for the photos with comprehensive captions detailing the circumstances under which the image was commissioned and taken, where and why it was first published, and how it was received.
The role of print media in circulating the images is also highlighted.
Damarice Amao, curator of Photography at the Pompidou, explained that this is an important aspect of the exhibition.
“It was not easy, as people are a little bit afraid. It’s a reflection [on the collection] that we have continued for some years, starting with a show called Photography as a Class Weapon, which we made four years ago. As the topic of decolonisation is discussed in this country, we as an institution must use critical tools to reflect on our collection. It’s our responsibility to face it.”
She continued, “Some photographs here are not easy to view. Depending on your sensibility, you might be more shocked by one or two.
But that is why a museum is the right place to do it. It’s a safe space to address it.”
In addition, the exhibit features anti-colonialist essays and poems illuminated on screens, collages and vinyls on the wall.
Head phones are available for visitors to listen to the audio recordings of Rocé and Casey – two French rappers whose personal work speaks to French colonial history and their experience of it – further extending and rounding out the exhibition experience.