To the rhythm of Congolese rumba, rock'n'roll and twist, the characters in the “Sape & Studio” exhibition proudly pose. Here, there's no question of letting your spirits be “sapped”: on the contrary, this exhibition invites you to get “enjoie”! A breath of lightness and style in a hectic world.

 The exhibition explores two photographic universes, from different generations and countries: that of youth in Bamako (Mali) in the 1950s and 60s, captured in black and white by the famous Malick Sidibé, and the colorful contemporary parades of the Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes (SAPE) in Brazzaville (Congo), captured by Baudouin Mouanda.

Malick Sidibé was very popular with young people, and was present at all the bals poussières, at the height of the independence movement, in all the clubs where young people were discovering dances from Europe and Cuba, dressing in fashion and competing for style. In 1962, he opened the “Studio Malick”, a mythical place in Bamako where people came to pose proudly. Throughout his life, he shot portraits, providing his models with a wide range of accessories to reveal their individual identities. "The studio was the place where anyone could be seen, where one could measure one's abilities in fashion, clothing, jewelry, or shoes too! You never came to the studio sad, you always came clean! These are “happiness photos”! I work in a cheerful spirit so I can make people's spirits shine in my portraits," says the artist. His work was awarded the coveted Golden Lion at the 2007 Venice Biennale.

 

In 2008, Baudouin Mouanda met “Sapologie” enthusiasts in Paris and then Brazzaville. With their made-to-measure suits, bright colors, designer shoes and eccentric accessories, these men - and some women - sacrifice everything to style. They compete against each other in the streets and bars, or at the August 15th festival, the highlight of the year, where they parade under admiring glances. It's a ruthless competition where dress and appearance reign supreme. The behavioral and dress codes invented and regulated by this SAPE company are part of the Congo's intangible cultural heritage, as is rumba, the music that accompanies the sapeurs in their parades and of which the artist Papa Wemba was one of the greatest representatives.