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Shawn Davis

Through The Lens: A Personal View Of West Africa These images capture a very intimate, personal side of life in Mali, West Africa. They are the result of the two years that Shawn Davis spent getting to know the members of his host community who became his friends, colleagues and new family. Shawn hopes to offer, through this exhibit, a perspective of Africa that goes beyond the images of war and disease that often gain the headlines in the world press. He wishes to show that along with the bad days always come good ones and that Africa is an immensely diverse continent. Most of these photos were taken after Shawn had already lived in his village for one year. Whether with a friend of a year or someone he had met that day, Shawn has always leapt over language and cultural barriers to learn as much as he can about the people he encounters. This strong connection with his subjects shines through the images on view here tonight. Reaching beyond the aesthetic quality of the images, this exhibit aims to give viewers a glance at the lives of the subjects—of the events leading up to the point at which the shutter of the camera was released and the images you see tonight were captured on film. Instead of reinforcing stereotypes with isolated images that leave you curious, Shawn has written short essays to accompany each photo, which satisfy some of that curiosity and provide you with valuable insight. Hopefully you will be able to not only enjoy these images, but learn from them as well. Essays are available by contacting shawndavisphoto@hotmail.com.

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