Baudouin Mouanda

Baudouin Mouanda is one of the most promising young photographers working in Africa. The man who defines himself as a "photographer of life" produces series imbued with realism, poetry and questionings. He started out in photography in 1993 when he was 12, earning a camera from his father for doing well in his studies. He rapidly began to capture life in Brazzaville, and was dubbed "Photouin.” Turning away from conformism and classical photography, he focused on the history of his country. His explorations led to his first, highly sensitive work, The Aftermath of War. In 2008, he photographed the most splendid "Sapeurs" of Brazzaville. Since then, the photographer has undertaken numerous residences abroad. In Libreville, Gabon, he developed his work, Hip Hop and Society. Initiated in 2011, his Pavement of Knowledge project shows the African students who seek refuge in what they call "the great library under the stars." Currently Mouanda focuses on the significance of marriage with Congolese Dreams.

Baudouin Mouanda has participated in exhibitions at many institutions including Musée Dapper, Paris, Musée des Confluences, Lyon, Fondation Blachère, Apt, “Rencontres de Bamako”, Mali, Rencontres de la Photographie, Arles, Musée d’Art Contemporain, Marseille, African Emerging Photography at the Joburg Art Fair, in Gabon and in Equatorial Guinea, Dakar Biennale, Senegal, and Kyotographie, Kyoto, Japan. Voted Best Photographer by the Fine Arts Academy of Kinshasa, Baudouin Mouanda received many prizes and awards such as Fondation Blachère award, the Bolloré Young Talent prize, the silver medal in the seventh Jeux de la Francophonie, and was the winner for the Central Africa region in the “Beauty in Africa” photo competition staged jointly by the African Union and European Union.

Courtesy of Marie Finaz Gallery