From Instagram to the art market, how Gabonese Yannis Davy Guibinga became a recognized photographer

Photographs by Gabonese Yannis Davy Guibinga, 27, were exhibited from 26 to 28 May 2023 in Johannesburg, as part of the RMB Latitudes International Contemporary Art Fair. A new illustration of the growing notoriety of this young photographer, discovered on Instagram.

Exhibition of the series "Tales of the First Sunrise", by Yannis Davy Guinbinga, during the RMB Latitudes contemporary art fair in Johannesburg, Saturday, May 27, 2023. © Romain Chanson/RFI

Text by: RFI Follow

Advertising

Read more

With our correspondent in Johannesburg, Romain Chanson

His photos are exhibited all over the world and caught the eye of American singer Chance the Rapper. The career of Gabonese Yannis Davy Guibinga, 27, is on the rise. The one who started by posting his pictures on Instagram now sells his work in international contemporary art fairs. Some of his works were exhibited at the RMB Latitudes art fair held in Johannesburg.

« My work fell under the eyes of one person, and then another... »

When Chance the Rapper's single "The Highs & The Lows" was released in 2022, it was a work by Yannis Davy Guibinga who illustrated the track. We have come a long way since the young photographer's Instagram posts...

The social network is a good springboard, according to the interested party: "Especially for young artists who do not really have other platforms. They don't really have access, contacts, they just have the internet actually. That's kind of how I started. My work fell under the eyes of one person, and then another, that's how I managed to build myself I would say. »

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Yannis Davy Guibinga (@yannisdavy)

Yannis Davy Guibinga's photographs play on very bright colors, and on the contrasts that make them stand out. They highlight African mythologies that Gabonese want to make accessible. "A lot of stories about African mythology from pre-colonial times aren't really known, aren't really available," he says. And so, there are much more rarely visual references to these stories. Through photography, I try to draw inspiration from these stories and give them a bit of a visual reference, but with a modern side as well."

« Yannis has been sharing his work on Instagram since 2018, so you can see everything he does »

Absent in Johannesburg, Yannis Davy Guibinga was represented at RMB Latitudes by Imme Dattenberg-Doyle, founder of the London gallery Doyle Wham, specializing in African photography. His method: find new artists like the Gabonese, on Instagram.

«

It's very easy, because they have all the artwork on Instagram and it's easy to see how they've been working for years," she says. For example, Yannis has been sharing his work on Instagram since 2018, so you can see everything he does, and how he is developing as an artist. It's very easy with photography because what you see on Instagram is a digital image, and when you get it, it's exactly the same, it's not like with pottery or paint where there can be a difference in color or texture."

The artist is now based in Canada. These are the works of Yannis Davy Guibinga who travel in Africa, such as Nigeria, Morocco or South Africa.

Newsletter Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

Read on on the same topics:

• Arts
• Photography
• Gabon
• South Africa
• Culture
• Culture Africa