Maurice Pellosh

☆ Save On Wikipedia ↗
Maurice Bidilou
Maurice Bidilou in 2022
Born(1951-08-15)15 August 1951
Bouansa, Congo-Brazzaville
Died25 May 2023(2023-05-25) (aged 71)
Pointe Noire, Congo-Brazzaville
OccupationPortrait photographer
Years active43 years

Maurice Bidilou, also known as Pellosh, was a Congolese portrait photographer (15 August 1951 – 25 May 2023).[1] He produced small and medium format photographs of Congolese society in the early 1970s to mid 1990s.[2] He gained newfound recognition in 2021 after a series of solo shows. Before his death, he was described as "one of the last living masters of African photography".[3][4]

Early years

Pellosh was born in the southern rural area of Bouansa (Congo-Brazzaville), the second of six children.[1][4] His mother was a field-worker and his father was a warehouseman.[4] At the age of 14 he chose the nickname "Pellosh" based purely on its sound; coincidentally, it is similar to the word "pelloche", a slang term for a strip of film.[1][4]

He moved to Pointe-Noire at age 17 with his brother. After working a few odd jobs, he decided to pursue photographic studies with the support of his uncle. In 1971, he started an apprenticeship at Studio Janot Père in exchange for a demijohn of wine, a chicken, a bunch of bananas, and 20,000 CFA francs.[1][4] He spent 20 months learning the practice of studio photography, particularly focused on the nuances of light and shadow.[4][5]

Photographic career

In 1973, Pellosh ordered his first camera from France, a 6x6 Yashica Mat-124 G.[1] He worked as a wandering photographer in the Mayombe area, capturing rural life.[5][6]

He opened his studio, Studio Pellosh, in Pointe-Noire on December 17, 1973.[5][7][8] The studio was located in the Rex district, close to the Central Market and Grand mosque.[3]

Studio Pellosh soon rose in popularity and became a place where families and friends came for a sitting, dressed in their best attire.[5] Among them was the writer Alain Mabanckou, who was photographed at the age of nine.[9][10][11] It was particularly popular among participants in La Sape culture, or sapeurs, which was booming at the time;[4][5] in particular, there was a desire for photographic souvenirs which could be sent to relatives.[1][5]

Portraiture became a symbol of pride and emancipation in Congo-Brazzaville after the country gained its independence. In the evenings, Pellosh continued to cruise bars, ballrooms and concert halls to capture nightlife scenes.[4]

From the 1980s onwards, Maurice Pellosh moved away from black and white photography to color, due in part to decreasing availability of black-and-white photography development products.[1][12] In 1993 he contemplated moving the studio to Brazzaville, but the civil war of the 1990s made that impossible.[1][4] The rise of cheap instant cameras and digital photography in the 2000s led to a declining interest in studio photography,[1] and Pellosh finally closed his studio in 2016.[13] Over the span of 40 years, he captured thousands of portraits and scenes of Congolese society.[1]

Pellosh died on May 25, 2023, at the age of 71, following a fractured hip and a bout of malaria.[13] He had a wife (Jackie), 6 children, and 17 grandchildren.[8]

Late recognition and legacy

In 2019, Pellosh met curator Emmanuèle Béthery in Pointe-Noire through a mutual friend.[6][1] She described herself as "obsessed" with the yellowed photographs he presented to her.[1] Soon after, she visited Pellosh in his home equipped with a lightbox. Together they began sorting the thousands of 6x6 negatives kept in Kodak boxes for nearly 50 years, decaying from damp and humidity.[4][14] Béthery sent around 8,000 of these negatives to Stéphane Cormier, a specialist in black and white prints, who confirmed that a majority of the photos could be recovered.[6][4] Béthery displayed and sold collectible silver prints of the photos on her Instagram page.[1][3]

The first exhibition, "Flash B(l)ack", was held in Paris in June 2021.[15][16] The second exhibition, "From West to East", took place in Dar es Salaam in October 2022.[17] The third exhibition, "Faces to Faces", took place in June 2023 in Paris.[18][19]

As part of the "Traversées Africaines" art tour in Paris, Pellosh's photographs were displayed twice: "Pause Congolaise", the fourth exhibition, was held in May 2024,[20][21][22] and "Fringués comme Jamais", the fifth exhibition, was held in May 2025.[23][24]

Pellosh's photos were presented at the African Book Fair (Salon du Livre Africain) in September 2021 in Paris.[25][26]

Pellosh's work was showcased through a screening and presentation at the 16th edition of the "Nuits Photographiques de Pierrevert" in July 2024.[12]

A documentary film "Maurice Pellosh, Capturing Memory" was completed in July 2024.[27][28] The documentary was shown at the October 2024 Ecrans Noirs Film Festival in Yaoundé,[29] the Abuja Film Festival, the New York Africa Film Festival 2025 in New York City,[30][31] the 2025 Benin City Film Festival,[32] and the Festival Plan d'Ensemble 2025 in Chateauguay, where it won the award for best international documentary. A screening of the film took place on May 20, 2025 at the Cinéma Saint André des Arts in Paris.

Photographs taken by Pellosh feature in a five-year traveling exhibition across three continents titled "In Slavery's Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World", organized by the United States' National Museum of African American History and Culture, starting in December 2024.[33] The National Historical Museum in Rio de Janeiro is hosting the exhibition from November 13, 2025 to March 26, 2026.[34]

The Photographic Archives Department of the Bibliothèque nationale de France acquired 10 Pellosh photographs in January 2025.[35]

Photographs by Pellosh were showcased in an exhibition dedicated to Congolese rumba, titled "Café Rumba", in partnership with the Royal Muséum for Central Africa in Brussels, during March 2025.[36]

During the first edition of the Pointe-Noire photo festival Ponton Photo, occurring from June 2025 to September 2025, around forty photos by Maurice Pellosh were exhibited.[37]

The French Institute of Gabon in Libreville presented the work of Maurice Pellosh in its "Studios Photos" exhibition from November 2025 to January 2026.[38] Brice Oligui Nguema and Emmanuel Macron visited the exhibition on November 24, 2025.[39]

Photographs by Pellosh were offered for sale at contemporary auctions at Drouot Auction House (Paris) in November 2023, in June 2024, in July 2024[40] at an auction organized during the Arles Photographic Meetings,[41] and in June 2025.[42]

Currently, over 500 of Pellosh's photos are in exhibitions in France and the United States.[11][43]

References

  1. Mercier, Jeanne (22 March 2022). "Studio Pellosh – Interview de Maurice Pellosh et Emmanuèle Béthery". Afrique in Visu (in French). Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  2. "Maurice Bidilou aka Pellosh, Congolese photographer". Photoconsortium Association. 3 January 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  3. Tolotti, Sandrine (25 May 2024). "Le temps retrouvé de Pointe Noire". L’Intimiste. Les Presses de la lenteur. p. 2. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  4. Glicksman, Marlaine (28 December 2021). "Remembering a Congolese Photographer's Images of Post-Liberation Congo". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  5. "Flash B(lack) du Congo". 9 Lives Magazine (in French). 28 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  6. Tolotti, Sandrine (25 May 2024). "Le temps retrouvé de Pointe Noire". L’Intimiste (in French). Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  7. Steven Lumiere Moussala (February 2012). "Une histoire de la Photographie au Congo Brazzaville". Africultures: 145–161.
  8. all-about-photo.com. "Maurice Pellosh". All About Photo. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  9. Mabanckou, Alain (2023). Lettres à un jeune romancier sénégalais (in French). Europe: Secrets d'écriture. pp. 97–172. ISBN 9782321017950.
  10. Rozenman, Marina (October 2022). "La Photo d'Enfance; Alain Mabanckou". Marie Claire (841): 105.
  11. AfricaNews. "DRC: Maurice Pellosh's clients rediscover their portraits in documentary | Africanews". Africanews. Archived from the original on 2 March 2026. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  12. "Maurice Pellosh". Les Nuits Photographiques de Pierrevert (in French). Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  13. "Maurice Bidilou, Studio Pellosh: The Man Who Framed a Nation's Soul". Random Photo Journal. 17 June 2025. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  14. Litzler, Philippe (11 June 2021). "Maurice PELLOSH - Le regard d'aujourd'hui sur la photographie ou la mémoire photographique du Congo - Brazza". OPENEYE, le regard d'aujourd'hui sur la photographie (in French). Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  15. "From Dakar to Paris: See Exhibitions Featuring Paul Kodjo, Maurice Pellosh, Hassan Hajjaj and More". The Sole Adventurer. 29 October 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  16. Photographie, L'Œil de la (1 June 2021). "Galerie Beaurepaire : Maurice Bidilou, dit " Pellosh " : Flash B(lack) du Congo". L'Œil de la Photographie Magazine (in French). Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  17. "Événements | Africultures : Exposition " D'Ouest en Est"". Africultures (in French). Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  18. "Faces à faces : Maurice Pellosh au 10, rue Caffarelli". Fisheye Magazine. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  19. Photographie, L'Œil de la (8 June 2023). "Maurice "Pellosh" Bidilou : Faces à Faces". L'Œil de la Photographie Magazine (in French). Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  20. "Culture africaine: les rendez-vous en mai 2024". RFI (in French). 3 May 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  21. "Pause Congolaise". Pour L'Art Pour L'Afrique (in French). Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  22. "TraverseesAfricaines2024". Pourlartpourlafrique (in French). Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  23. "Fringués comme jamais". Pour L'Art Pour L'Afrique (in French). Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  24. "TRAVERSÉES AFRICAINES: Parcours d'art contemporain du continent africain 2025".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. "Quand le livre africain fait salon à Paris". Le Point (in French). 5 October 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  26. "Découverte: la mémoire photographique du Congo Brazzaville au salon africain du livre de Paris | adiac-congo.com : toute l'actualité du Bassin du Congo". www.adiac-congo.com. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  27. Film-documentaire.fr. "Maurice Pellosh, la mémoire en images". www.film-documentaire.fr (in French). Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  28. "Maurice Pellosh, Capturing Memory". Labocine. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  29. "Programme Projections Ecrans Noirs". Programme Festival 2024: 6. October 2024.
  30. "NYAFF – MAURICE PELLOSH + ARTE CONGO". Maysles Documentary Center. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  31. "32nd New York Africa Film Festival (Brochure)" (PDF). New York Africa Film Festival.
  32. "Official Selection Announcement". Benin City Film Festival. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  33. "In Slavery's Wake". National Museum of African American History and Culture. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  34. "EXPOSIÇÃO PARA ALÉM DA ESCRAVIDÃO". Museu Histórico Nacional (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  35. "BnF Catalogue général". catalogue.bnf.fr (in French). Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  36. "Café Rumba". www.africamuseum.be (in French). 6 March 2025. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  37. "Le festival Ponton photo baisse ses rideaux á la fin de la semaine" (PDF). Les Dépêches de Brazzaville. 19 September 2025. p. 12.
  38. "Exposition : Studio photos – Souvenir d'Afrique centrale". Institut français du Gabon (in French). Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  39. "Déplacement au Gabon". elysee.fr (in French). 24 November 2025. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  40. Mouel, Yann Le. "MAURICE PELLOSH 1951–2023 – Lot 77". Yann Le Mouel (in French). Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  41. d'Arles, Les Rencontres. "Les Rencontres d'Arles". www.rencontres-arles.com. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  42. "Photographie moderne et contemporaine". Yann Le Mouel (in French). Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  43. "DRC: Maurice Pellosh's Clients Rediscover Their Portraits In Documentary". ImNews Africa ~ ImpulsRadio Africa. 23 February 2026. Retrieved 24 March 2026.