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Contemporary African Art Collection by Jean Pigozzi
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![]() Jean Depara Born 1928, Kboklolo, Angola
Died 1997, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo Depara came to photography almost by accident. To record his wedding in 1950 he bought himself a small Adox cameraafter which he never ceased to seek out new subjects for his lens. Settling in Kinshasa in 1951, Depara at first combined his photography with various small jobs: repairing bicycles and cameras, dealing in scrap metal. In 1954 the celebrated Zairian singer Franco invited him to become his official photographer, launching Deparas career as a chronicler of Kinshasa social life in the era when the Rumba and the Cha Cha defined the citys rhythm. He set up a studio under the name Jean Whisky Depara and spent his days in bars like the Kwist, the OK Bar, or the Sarma Congo. At night he hung out at such clubs as the Afro Mogenbo, the Champs-Elysées, the Djambo Djambu, the Oui, the Fifi, the Show Boat. Night owls particularly fascinated him and with his flash Depara captured an Africa stripped of conventional social codes. Interracial couples, hipsters, and those who in imitation of James Dean chose to Live fast, die young became both his subjects and his clients. Among Deparas themes in his photographs are the Miziki who have such a powerful role in Kinshasa society. These associations of women were rooted in pre-independence traditions, and a Moziki (singular form of Miziki) could act as a banker within her social circle. In the 1950s and 1960s, Miziki associations took such names as La Pause and La Mode, and commissioned famous bands to compose songs for their annual events. Depara died leaving his archive of hundreds negatives untitled; with the permission of the artists family, his close friend Oscar Mbemba has titled the works in the spirit of this era. SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2011/2012 Depara, night and day in Kinshasa, 1955-1965 Maison Revue Noire, Paris Les nuits de Kinshasa, Jean Depara, 1955 à 1975, Rencontres africaines, Biennale de la Photographie, Bamako, Mali 2002 De Para Centre de la Photographie Geneva - Switzerland 2001 4th Meeting for African Photography Bamako, Mali. 2000 Noorderlicht 2000 photofestival, Fries Museum Leeuwarden, Netherland. SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2016 Making Africa - A Continent of Contemporary Design, CCCB, Barcelona, Spain 2015 Beauté Congo 1926-2015 Congo Kitoko, Fondation Cartier, Paris, France 2014/2015 Luminós/C/ity.Ordinary Joy: From the Pigozzi Contemporary African Art Collection, Ethelbert Cooper Gallery of African & African American Art, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA 2014 Congo in Harlem, Maysles Cinema, Harlem, NY, USA 2013 Paris Photo Los Angeles 2011 JapanCongo Magasin Grenoble, France 2010 African Stories Marrakech Art Fair, Marrakech 2006/2007 100% Africa Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Spain 2005 Arts of Africa Grimaldi Forum Monaco - France 2005 African Art Now : Masterpieces from the Jean Pigozzi Collection Museum of Fine Art Houston Houston - USA 2004 E la Nave Va « Jours tranquilles à Kinshasa » MAMCO Geneva - Switzerland 2000 Africa : Past-Present Seydou Keita, P.K. Apagya, Depara, C.A. Azaglo and Ojeikere Fifty One Fine Art Photography Antwerp - Belgium 1998 - 1999 Eye Africa : African photography 1840-1998 Festival of African photography SANG Cape Town South Africa SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 2017 Festival Photo La Gacilly - édition 2017 "I Love Africa", exibition catalogue, pgs 76-81 2015 Amelie Klein, Making Africa - A Continent of Contemporary Design, Vitra Design Museum catalogue, pg. 128 2012 Paris Photo vu par David Lynch, Edition Steidl, November 2012, Broché 2011 PhotoBolsillo: Jean Depara, La Fábric, Madrid, April 2011 Broché 2010 Kinshasa Night and Day, La Fabrica / Edition Revue Noire, Paris - 2010 2006 100% Africa Exhibition catalogue. Published by TF Editores & FMGB Guggenheim Bilbao Museum. 2005 African Art Now: Masterpieces from the Jean Pigozzi Collection Exhibition catalogue. Published by Merrell. 2001 Mémoires Intimes d'un Nouveau Millénaire - Intimates Memories of the New Millenium (4ème Rencontres de la Photographie africaine, Bamako 2001). Edited by Eric Koehler. 2000 Noorderlicht 2000 photofestival. Fries Museum, exhibition catalogue, Depara p.25-32. Leeuwarden, Netherland. 1998 " L'Eveil d'un regard " Depara Anthologie de la Photographie Africaine et de l'Océan Indien. XIXe & XXe Siècles. Texts in French. Editions : Revue Noire, France. |