Unseen Colour Portraits by Sanlé Sory to be Exhibited in London

In a new exhibition titled Colour Years, the Photographers' Gallery London will showcase a selection of rarely seen colour photographs by Sanlé Sory, a renowned post-independence photographer from Africa.

Sanlé Sory opened Volta Photo Studio in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, in 1960, just after the country gained independence from France. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, thousands of people passed through the studio doors to record weddings, friendships, new fashions, or simply the person they had become.

Sory's black-and-white studio portraits and exuberant photographs of Burkina Faso's nightlife have established him as one of Africa's great post-independence photographers. However, his colour work has remained largely overlooked until now.

Colour Years brings together a selection of Sory's colour photographs, which were shot on 35mm colour film using Olympus and Konica cameras. The portraits are a collaboration between Sory and his subjects, who were encouraged to bring along meaningful possessions or mix and match with studio props.

Each portrait is a statement of identity, showcasing the sitter's clothing, textiles, and personal style. The photographs are aspirational without feeling overly staged, and they collectively build a picture of how a community is wished to be seen.

The exhibition adds a layer of appreciation to Sory's work, as much of his archive might never have survived. In 2011, French writer and record producer Florent Mazzoleni visited Sory and convinced him to preserve his old negatives, which led to acclaimed exhibitions and the publication of the monograph Volta Photo.

Colour Years extends the assessment of Sory's practice, broadening our understanding of one of Africa's most significant studio photographers. The colour photographs capture the optimism of those who paid to sit for Sory, and they remain vivid reminders that photography has always been about more than recording appearances.

The exhibition will run from 14 October 2026 to 21 February 2027 at The Photographers' Gallery UK.

### Colour Portraits by Sanlé Sory

| | | | --- | --- | | Camera | Olympus and Konica | | Film | 35mm colour film | | Style | Collaborative, with subjects encouraged to bring meaningful possessions or mix with studio props |

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