Baudouin Mouanda SAPEURS
Mouanda Baudouin Baudouin Mouanda SAPEURS SAPEURS
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Front Cover: Baudouin Mouanda, Untitled, S.A.P.E, Congo Brazzaville, 2008 Credits: Baudouin Mouanda M.I.A Gallery All rights reserved, no part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior permission in writing of the publisher
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The Sapeurs exhibition unveils the secret society of Congo Brazzaville’s finest and most elegant people. Featuring a series of flamboyant and extravagant photographs, Baudoin Mouanda portrays the Sapeurs, members of the S.A.P.E, Societé des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Elégantes, in other words, Society of Party Revelers and Elegant Persons. Inspired by the elegance of French men and British dandies, the dandy of yesterday is the Sapeurs of today. Unlike traditional African studio portraiture, Baudouin Mouanda explores the streets of Bacongo district and documents the sub-cultures of Brazzaville. The Sapeurs have arisen in 1960’s in West Africa and among their Diasporas in Europe. Devoted to elegance and refinement, they wear the latest high fashion of the moment. In a society in crisis, the Sapeurs generally come from modest households and believe in the power of clothing to upgrade their social status and correct inequalities. They are highly respected by their community who see in them the progress and ambition of their country. Nicknamed Photouin (Photo + Baudouin), Mouanda begins his photographic journey in 1993, when his father offered him his first camera. Years later, he is awarded Best Photographer from the Fine Art School of Kinshasa (Republic Democratic of Congo), Baudouin gradually gains popularity in Africa. While studying journalism in Paris, he decides to work on the culture of S.A.P.E. Back home, he carries on his series, in a country where Suit is king and Sapology is a religion. Well-mannered, hedonist, connoisseur, passionate, the Congolese Dandies follow not only a code of three color maximum per suit, but a code of behaviors, such as physical and moral elegance, non-violence, free speech and respect of others. «Being a dandy is a condition rather than a profession. It is a defense against suffering and a celebration of life. It is not fashion, it is not weath, it is not learning, it is not beauty. It is a shield and a sworn and a crown - all pulled out of the dressing up box in the attic of the omagination» wrote Sebastian Horsley, in his memoir, Dandy in the Underworl. It is the equation of «Savoir Vivre» (the art of living well) and «Savoir Porter» (the art of dressing well). The Sapeur’s community and influences are growing beyond the borders of both Congos and is inspiring celebrities and international fashion designers such as the British designer, Paul Smith. In 2009, Mouanda receives the Young Talent Award at the Encounters of African Photography in Bamako from a jury headed by the internationally acclaimed artist, Malick Sidibé. Mouanda exhibited in museums and participated in several exhibitions such as «the Art of being a Man» at the Musée Dapper (Paris), ‘Swaggers: ambient people’s elegance» in Scotland, Africa Rising at Louis Vuitton HQ, Paris, in Rio de Janeiro, Helsinki and Paris Photo 2010. Mariane Ibrahim - Lenhardt M.I.A Gallery Director 7
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SAPEURS
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ÂŤBeing well-dressed gives a feeling of inward tranquility which psychoanalysis is powerless to bestow.Âť Sebastian Horsley
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ÂŤWhat hempen home-spuns have we swaggering here..Âť William Shakespeare
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The Dandy of yesterday is the Sapeur of today
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It’s all about being present today to achieve what you want..
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ÂŤIt is the pleasure of astonishing others, and the proud satisfaction of never being astonished by them.Âť Charles Baudelaire
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Résumé
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Baudouin Mouanda
Born in 1981. Lives and works in Brazzaville, Congo. SOLO EXHIBITION 2013 M.I.A Gallery, Seattle, USA 2011 Gasworks, London UK GROUP EXHIBITION 2014 Dak’ART Biennale, Dakar, Senegal 2013 1-54: Contemporary and Modern African Art fair, London, UK 2013 Artist/Rebel/ Dandy: Men of fashion, RISD Museum of Art, Providence, USA Le Pont, Cultures 13. Galeries Lafayette, Marseilles, France 2012 Tracés de voyage, Gallerie IF, Paris, France De Markten, Brussels, Belgium Rencontre de Arles, France Musée de Confuences, Lyon, France La Tour Bolloré, les Sapeurs, Paris, France Rencontre internationale de Photographie, Fes, Morocco Johannesburg Arts gallery, South Africa 2011 Institut Français de Brazzaville, Republic of Congo Paris Photo, France Russian Cultural Centre with Géneration Elili Casa Africa, Espagne ARS 11, Kiasma, Finland 2010 Fondation Blachère, Apte, France Coca-Colonized, Brot kunsthall, Vienna, Austria Brighton Photo Fringe Festival, England Congo na bilili» Galerie Congo,Paris, France Africa Rising, Louis Vuitton, Paris, France 2009 Frontière, Musée National du Mali, Rencontre de la photographie de Bamako 8th edition, Mali. Sapeur de Bacongo, Musée du District, Bamako, Mali L’Art d’être un Homme, Musée Dapper Paris, France. Centre Culturel Français de Libreville, Gabon Group show, Musée de l’Afrique Central Brussels, Belgium Alliance Française, Visa pour Bamako, Accra, Ghana 2008 Rencontres de la Photographie et des Arts du dessin, AfrikAribu, Kinshasa, Republic Democatric of Congo. Festival Gabao Hip Hop - Libreville, Gabon Off Limits 2008, Dak’ Art Off , Dakar, Senegal Festival CINE AFRICANO TARIFA, Spain Corps et Graphies, Festival de Danse Makinu Bantu, Brazzaville 2006 Nouvelle Africaine, Afriphoto, Paris, France 2005 Jeux de la Francophonie, Niamey, Niger 53
References Sebastian Horsley (1962 – 2010), British artist, Dandy in the Underworld, 2010 William Shakespeare (1554 - 1616), British Poet, playwright, actor : A Midsummer Night’s Dream ACT III. Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867), French poet. repr. In Selected Writings on Art and Artists, ed. P.E. Charvet (1972). «The Painter of Modern Life,» sect. 1, published in L’Art Romantique (1869)
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M.I.A Gallery