Angèle Etoundi Essamba
Angèle Etoundi Essamba is an artist deeply committed to exploring and celebrating the identity of the Black woman. Her artistic expression revolves around the Black woman, who serves as an endless wellspring of inspiration for her. Essamba is dedicated to portraying, preserving, and transmitting the essence of the Black woman, naturally and passionately.
In her art, she challenges and dismantles the stereotypical representations of Black women perpetuated by Western media. These stereotypes often portray Black women as submissive, passive, dependent, exotic, and confined to certain roles. Essamba, however, wields her camera as a tool for reappropriation, deconstruction, and the breaking of these limiting narratives. Her lens captures active, proud, and determined women who confront daily challenges, assert their place and role in society, seize control of their own stories, and rewrite history on their own terms.
Angèle Etoundi Essamba’s work resides at the intersection of the social, gender, and artistic spheres. Through the medium of photography, she communicates her message creatively and powerfully. Her diverse background, spanning Cameroon, France, and the Netherlands, along with her extensive travels, has profoundly influenced her perspective. Her vision encompasses aesthetics, idealism, realism, and societal consciousness. She combines the spirit of humanist photography with a deep commitment to communal values.
The key themes of Essamba’s work are pride, strength, and awareness. Her focus is solely on the radiance of the human spirit, whether it be expressed individually, in pairs, or within a group. Her approach is always rooted in a sense of closeness and mutual exchange.
Born in Cameroon and educated in France, Angèle Etoundi Essamba is a graduate of the Dutch Photography School in Amsterdam, where she currently resides. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in the History of Art. Since her debut exhibition in 1985 in Amsterdam, her work has graced museums, institutions, biennales (including the Venice Biennale 2022, Havana Biennale, and Johannesburg Biennale), fairs, and galleries across Europe, Africa, the United States, Latin America, and Asia.
Essamba’s striking photographs have found their way into various publications, including “Passion” (1989), “Contrasts” (1995), “Symboles” (1999), “Noirs” (2001), “La Métamorphose du sublime” (2003), “Dialogues” (2006), “Voiles & Dévoilements” (2008), “Africa rising” (2010), “I-dentity” (2010), “As it is” (2010), “Africa see you, see me” (2011), “Desvelos” (2011), “Black & Red beyond colour” (2012), “Women of the water” (2013), “Invisible, African women in action” (2015), “Strength & pride” (2016), “Daughters of life” (2018), and “Renaissance” (2019).
Her art has also found a home in renowned public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Boca Raton Museum of Art, The National Museum of Women in the Arts, Fitchburg Museum of Art, Hood Museum at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, and the World Bank Art Program.
Angèle Etoundi Essamba’s art is a powerful testament to her unwavering dedication to celebrating the strength, pride, and multifaceted nature of Black women, challenging harmful stereotypes, and shining a light on their profound contributions to society.
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