The Arch is very pleased to present Burkinabe photographer Sanlé Sory. In 1960, Sanlé moved to Bobo-Dioulasso to be a photographer, there he set up his own studio called ‘Volta Photo’ where people could get their portrait taken. Burkina Faso had just gained independence from France, which boosted people’s fantasies in regards to their identity; thus changing how they wanted to be photographed. Sanlé provided costumes, make-up, props (such as telephones and radios), and backdrops featuring airplanes, just like the celebrated photographers Malick Sidibé and Seydou Keita were doing in Bamako, Mali. Though Sidibé’s and Keita’s work was discovered in the 1990s, Sanlé lived in relative obscurity until 2013. Now 77 years old, he is still dazzled by the novelty of seeing his work in galleries and museums all over the world.