Station CIDP #2, Ségou, Mali

Born in Lille to a French Ivorian family, photographer François-Xavier Gbré trained in commercial photography in Italy and France before relocating in 2010 to Bamako, Mali and later Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. He often turns his camera to modernist construction these areas of Africa. An ongoing project, entitled Tracks (2009-16), documents dilapidated urban landscapes of France and the decaying vestiges of former colonial capitals in West Africa, addressing the symbolism of once-valorized objects. “In my work,” the artist has stated, “I look for bridges between Europe and Africa. I try to document the complex relationship between North and South. Even if these buildings were constructed for different reasons, they often share the same fate (for different reasons, too).” Station CIDP #2, Ségou, Mali features a dilapidated gas station from a town in south-central Mali. Gbré’s approach is as a formalism, focusing on the shapes and faded colors of the building, centering the pavilion over the gas tanks in the frame.