$109.30
- Hardcover
248 pages
- Release Date
13 October 2026
Summary
The first monograph on the Burkinabé photographer Sanlé Sory, whose unforgettable images capture a country at the dawn of its independence
In 1957, a teenager from a small village arrived in the Burkinabé city of Bobo-Dioulasso. Struck by the importance of ID pictures in this urban setting – and impressed by the prices photographers taking them could command – he learned the trade of shooting and processing photographs. Three years later, the same year Burkina Faso …
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781837292547 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 183729254X |
| Author: | Sanlé Sory, Florent Mazzoleni, Taous Dahmani, Charlotte Flint, Esther Hien, David Hill, Nicolas Niarchos, Aurélia Niat Toundji, Hiroshi Egaitsu |
| Publisher: | Phaidon Press Ltd |
| Imprint: | Phaidon Press Ltd |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 248 |
| Release Date: | 13 October 2026 |
| Weight: | 2.68kg |
| Dimensions: | 25mm x 250mm x 250mm |
Sanlé Sory
Author Biographies
Sanlé Sory (born 1943) is a Burkinabé photographer. In 1960, the same year Burkina Faso (then the Republic of Upper Volta) gained full independence from France, Sory founded his photo studio, Volta Photo Portrait Studio. Over three decades, he captured and chronicled life in the city of Bobo, creating a vibrant record of its people and the West African culture it is known for.
Florent Mazzoleni is a French author and producer specializing in West African music. He has worked collaboratively with Sanlé Sory for more than a decade, bringing Sory’s work to an international audience.
Dr. Taous R. Dahmani is a London-based French, British, and Algerian art historian specializing in photography. She has curated both group and solo exhibitions internationally. Her writing has been widely published in photobooks and journals. She is the associate editor of Shining Lights: Black Women Photographers in 1980s–90s Britain (MACK/Autograph ABP, 2024).
Hiroshi Egaitsu is a DJ, writer, and lecturer who works in both Tokyo and Kyoto. He is one of the pioneers of Tokyo DJs who emerged in the 1990s and has been lecturing at Kyoto Seika University and Tokyo University of the Arts.
Charlotte Flint is a curator and writer based in London. She is a senior editor at Phaidon Press, and her book Tee A. Corinne: A forest fire between us was shortlisted for the 2025 Arles Historical Book Award and the 2025 Kraszna-Krausz Foundation Photography Book Award.
Esther Hien is a French-Burkinabè curator, archivist, ceramicist, and the founder of Wä Dé, an online platform focused on West Africa. Her works explore African aesthetics, fashion, visual culture, and cultural preservation.
David Hill studied photography and dealt in rare and professional cameras before embarking on a career in the music industry. He opened a photography gallery in 2015. In 2017, David Hill Gallery was the first to show the photographs of Sanlé Sory. In 2025, David was appointed as Photography Editor of Now Voyager.
Nicolas Niarchos is a freelance journalist. His work has been published by The New Yorker, The Nation, and The New York Times, among other publications.
Aurélia Niat Toundji is a curator, researcher, and art director whose work explores African and Black contemporary visual culture, art, and style.
Returns
This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.