Hector Acebes

Hector Acebes at African Antiques

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HECTOR ACEBES

Hector Acebes: PORTRAITS IN AFRICA 1948-1953

The Africans in Hector Acebes’ photographs are many things: sexy, wary, flirtatious, proud, irritated, and amused. Normally, a photo might say a thousand words. But with these remarkable photos of Africa, that estimate must be raised considerably. Acebes, a New-York-born Colombian with a decidedly international upbringing and spirit of adventure to match, journeyed throughout Africa in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s with a camera and an eye for the realities missed by so many other photographers before him.

Most photographers made no attempt to depict anything but the most crude stereotypes of what white Europeans and Americans expected or wanted to see. Acebes was a glaring exception.

hector Acebes photography His subjects were the people, of all ages and social positions, from the most remote, primitive areas of the continent, to the most metropolitan of cities. But his camera and his perspective caught something special. While other photographers used 35mm cameras, which they pointed like a gun at the subject, Acebes preferred a Rolleiflex, a camera he held at belt level, composing the shot by looking down. The photographer could then look up and make eye contact with the subject a second before releasing the shutter. The result captured that bit of personality and humanity so wanting in other photos of that era. Acebes explained that this method was less intimidating and created a personal relationship with the subject.

The photographer recently celebrated his 85th anniversary and lives in Bogotá, Colombia.

Acebes’ little known work has been rediscovered by the Brussels MoBa gallery, who is staging this solo show with thirty silver gelatin prints in a European premier entitled “Hector Acebes: Portraits in Africa 1948-1953.”
The coffee table sized book features more than 90 graphic, black-and-white photographs by Acebes for the first time in this format.

Opening on Sunday, 11 June from 14:00 until 20:00
Exhibition only on Sundays, from 12:00 until 18:00,
Finissage Sunday, 30 July
Other days by appointment 02.219.81.82

MoBa, Rue de l’Epargne 29 (between the KVS and Théâtre National). All photographs are viewable @ www.moba.be

see more images at http://www.moba.be/acebes_gallery.html