The Magazine for Leica M Photography

African Catwalk

10/14/2017, Leica Gallery Vienna is pleased to present the exhibition African Catwalk with works by Leica photographer Per-Anders Pettersson, showing from 20 October 2017 to 13 January 2018.

Colourful and confident, versatile and brimming with creative ideas: this is how the Swedish photographer presents Africa’s fashion scene in his latest project. In the period from 2010 to 2015, Pettersson visited 15 countries in order to document the world of fashion both on the catwalk and, in particular, behind the scenes. The result is a vibrant kaleidoscope of African fashion, creating a refreshing counterpoint to the image of the continent that generally dominates our Western media.

The Swedish-born photographer, who has been based in South Africa for many years, is the perfect ambassador for this surprisingly optimistic view of African life. His series manages to counteract the prevailing misconception of Africa as a predominantly crisis-ridden and war-torn continent marked by poverty, sickness, ethnic conflicts and terrorist devastation.

His interest in the world of fashion was sparked when he happened to attend a catwalk show at the Johannesburg Fashion Week in 2010: “It was the first fashion show I’d ever been to, and I was completely fascinated.”

The photographs presented in the exhibition are limited to 7 prints each, and can be acquired on location.

A comprehensive portfolio of excerpts from African Catwalk is featured in M Magazine No. 3

For further information visit Leica Galerie Wien as well as Per-Anders Pettersson