The Easel

23rd September 2025

Seydou Keïta’s Revelatory Portraits of Malian Life

Keïta’s photography tells deep stories. Some portraits have figures posing on motor bikes, symbolising modernity in newly independent 1960’s Mali. Malian eyes would likely pick out the textiles though, that displayed not just traditional designs but also influences from French colonial fashions. In his meticulous images, “individuals claim space within a rapidly shifting society. Keïta crafted a distinctive modernist photographic language anchored in the Malian arts of textile.”

Cropped, Chopped, and Silhouetted: Taking Celebrity at Face Value

Images are the fuel of celebrity culture. Whether it’s social media influencers, film stars or (increasingly) politicians, images are manipulated to flatter or to convey an idea. Archives of Hollywood studio photos show just how “ruthless” this process could be, with exaggerated images of femininity placed next to exaggeratedly masculine figures. One curator likens these images to the Pictures Generation artists who famously explored the gap between image and reality. Says another curator “celebrities are products”.