Africa junctions: capturing the city : Lard Buurman

Abstract

"Dutch photographer Lard Buurman captures the African city as a site of permanent change and incessant encounter in his photographs. Life takes place on the streets here, and public and private spheres blend. A sidewalk inconspicuously becomes a family kitchen or is suddenly transformed into a shop. Metropolises in Africa are characterised by informal structures and the art of improvisation; their colonial pasts have left marks that continue into the present in for the form of social inequality and bad governance. the images, which are the result of combining several snapshots into a single scene, enable the viewer to take in the vibrant urban space of these bustling cities."