The Shape of Things

Carrie Mae Weems visited the African continent for the first time in 1993, where she photographed the architecture of an ancient urban center, Djenné, in Mali. Identifying masculine or feminine qualities in certain spaces of the city, she photographed towers, portals, and halls to illuminate visual parallels with human bodies. This series of photographs celebrates not only the sensual qualities of the built environment in Djenné, but the human narrative running throughout its history and survival. As a Black American woman, Weems traveled with a commitment to grappling with the histories of the transatlantic slave trade, and sought their echoes across the Western African nations of Ghana, Senegal, and Mali.