There’s an African in all of us

“Another Africa”

Photographs by Robert Lyons

Through Jan. 18, 2003

Manchester Craftsmen’s… “Another Africa”

Photographs by Robert Lyons

Through Jan. 18, 2003

Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild

1815 Metropolitan St.

(412) 322-1773

Silver Eye Center for Photography

1015 E. Carson St.

(412) 431-1810

I know most of you probably read “Heart of Darkness” sometime during your career in high school English class, but how much did that really teach you about Africa? How many of your impressions are common Western stereotypes, and how many are accurate accounts of the state of Africa and its people? Robert Lyons, through his exhibit “Another Africa,” attempts to portray what he views as the real Africa through a series of stunning photographs.

Lyons helps people to look past the single-faceted view of the continent of Africa, utilizing more than 50 large-scale photographs to demonstrate the true humanity, beauty and strength in many African countries. His photographs are sharp, colorful and poignant.

“Another Africa” is a unique collaboration between the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild on the North Shore and the Silver Eye Center for Photography on the South Side. Manchester features the majority of the photos because of its large exhibit space, but Silver Eye is also displaying a number of photographs that equally deserve attention.

Lyons graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass., in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in photography. He continued on to Yale University, enrolling in a two-year Master of Fine Arts program. He began his independent artistic career one year into his master’s program during a visit to Morocco in northern Africa.

“Another Africa” features photographs from Senegal, Mali, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia. The photos are brightly colored masterpieces that allow their viewers to look into what Lyons sees as the heart of Africa.

The composition of every photo, whether a still life, portrait or landscape, is rich and intriguing. Lyons captured the images of many beautiful places and the even more beautiful people who reside there.

Some of the photos feature interesting contradictions one might not generally associate with any one culture. “Commercial Artist’s Shack” features the brightly decorated front of an artist’s studio. A portrait of Sean Connery placing the cold metal barrel of a gun on the side of his cheek in an excessively James Bond manner is featured next to the door. Interesting quotes surround this medium sized portrait, informing that “Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of desire.”

“Unaccompanied Minor” is a strikingly gorgeous photo of the outline of a slender, long-limbed boy. The photograph is taken from inside a structure, through a thin orange and green tapestry that hangs in the doorway, featuring the boy who sits pensively on the other side of the dyed fabric.

Robert Lyons’ photographic collection offers a unique interpretation of a large and lively continent that is almost entirely foreign to many in the Western world. A 20-minute bus ride can get you to an exhibit that offers insight into a world an ocean away.