Malala Andrialavidrazana is a Malagasy-French artist and photographer whose art questions barriers and interactions in intercultural contexts. She pursues an ideal of her own, oscillating thoughtfully between private spaces and global considerations to explore social imaginaries in depth. The medium of photography is the artistic language used by Malala Andrialavidrazana to communicate her past-oriented vision of today’s world.
Malala Andrialavidrazana’s photography is deeply committed to contemporary issues and developments. Born in Madagascar in 1971, she grew up in her native country before moving to Paris, where she graduated from the Ecole Nationale d’Architecture de Paris- La Vignette in 1996. This qualification testifies to her ability to perceive the world from a three-dimensional viewpoint, and to use images as models for designing new forms of circulation.
Malala Andrialavidrazana continues to travel to different parts of the world to further develop her unique artistic practice. She then began her career as a visual artist by extending her investigation of Malagasy funerary structures to cities in the global South – Auckland, Buenos Aires, Guangzhou and Santiago, among others. From this investigation emerged the photographic series “d’Outre-Monde (2003)“, which addresses funerary traditions alongside multiple urban forms and dimensions, and was awarded the HSBC Prize for Photography.
In her work, Malala Andrialavidrazana often uses the juxtaposition of old and new to explore the complex dynamics of the world of yesteryear in its entirety. Her images are often complex and multi-layered, layering archival images and contemporary photographs to create rich and profound visual narratives.
In her series “Echoes” (from the Indian Ocean), built with the support of the Institut Français and the National Arts Council of South Africa, Malala Andrialavidrazana translates the contours of a plural singularity, while highlighting the depth and durability of historical links between such distant places as Antananarivo, Mumbai and Durban. This series of works is in fact the materialization of the artist’s interest in dialogue and difference. She maintains an ethical deference to the many problematic prejudices that obscure and define “Northern” views of the Indian Ocean – one of the world’s leading economies.
Malala Andrialavidrazana’s work has been exhibited at several venues around the globe, including Rencontres de Bamako, Fondation Donwahi, Lagos Photo Festival on the African continent; Changjiang and Karachi Biennales, Dhaka Art Summit, Para-Site, in Asia; Herzliya Museum in the Middle East; PAC Milano, Kalmar Konstmuseum, Lyon and EVA Ireland’s Biennale, Warsaw MoMA, in Europe; Fondation Clément in the Caribbean; Aperture, Art Institute of Chicago, Ford Foundation, in the United States.
Using photography as a tool to explore hidden histories and combat prejudice and stereotypes, Malala Andrialavidrazana has created a visually powerful and engaging body of work. Her images shed light on the complexities and differences of social identity, and call on audiences to radically metamorphose their perception of the world as a whole.
Malala Andrialavidrazana‘s work is an eloquent example of how art can be used to create powerful narratives that are both visually stunning and politically important. Her photography is a constant reminder that art can be a tool for change, and that artists have an important role to play in creating a new, egalitarian world for all.