Determined Woman – Photographs by Angèle Etoundi Essamba

Determined Woman is the first exhibition showcasing the photographic works of Cameroonian Angèle Etoundi Essamba and will be held from 17 May to 6 October at the Museum of Rome in Trastevere

In the first Italian retrospective proposed for the city of Rome, Cameroonian photography reveals its cultural commitment to gender. Her art is a reflection on the identity of the black woman that challenges and breaks the stereotypical representation described by Western media as submissive, passive, dependent, exotic and conformed in the physical role. The photographer shows an active and proud woman who faces daily challenges, showing her place and role in society. They are the determined women of Angèle Etoundi Essamba who take charge of their own narrative and rewrite history. The approximately fifty large format photographs taken between 1985 and 2022 and divided into five photographic cycles – The girl with the amber earring, Renaissance (Renaissance), A-fil-liation ( A-fil-liations), Noirs (Blacks), Unveilings (Unveilings) – are a visual story with strong colors that act as a counterpoint to some series of smooth black and white.