Christian Sanna (b. 1989)
Lives and works in Antananarivo, Madagascar.
Christian Sanna is a Malagasy-Italian visual artist and photographer whose practice is rooted in photography, yet extends far beyond the traditional frame. His work can be defined as a visual exploration of contemporary life, mixing photographic genres such as portraiture, still life, landscape, and photographic sculptures. His work captures the everyday while transforming it into a reflection on representation and, more broadly, on society.
Sanna's work has been exhibited internationally, notably at Les Rencontres de Bamako – Biennale de la Photographie Africaine in Mali, the Aperture Gallery in New York, Hakanto Contemporary in Antananarivo, the Fondation H in Paris and Antananarivo, and the Sabrina Amrani Gallery in Madrid. His works are part of the collections of the National Museum of Bamako, the Fondation H in Antananarivo, and the Yavarhoussen Collection in Antananarivo. Sanna has also participated in significant residencies and programs, including the Résidence 1+2 in Toulouse, and received an honorable mention in the LCC Program in Casablanca.
Education :
2013 - 2016 : BA, Grand Prize distinction, ETPA photography school, Toulouse, France.
2009 - 2012 : University Lumière Lyon 2, Lyon, France.
Selected solo exhibitions :
2021 Dear Embona, Fondation H Antananarivo, Madagascar.
2020 Letters to Embona, Fondation H Paris, France.
2018 Moraingy, Institut Français d’Antananarivo, Madagascar.
Selected group exhibitions :
2025 HOME ALMOST HOME, Flox Gallery, Antananarivo, Madagascar.
2024 Y SI MADRIR FUERA MI CASA, Sabrina Amrani Gallery, Madrid, Spain.
2023 LAMBA FOREVER MANDRAKIZAY" Hakanto Contemporary, Antananarivo, Madagascar.
2020 Welcome Home Vol.II, MACAAL, Marrakech, Morocco.
2019 ALMOST HOME, Galerie RX, Paris, France.
2018 The Way We Live Now, Aperture Gallery, New York, USA.
2017 Afrotopia, Les Rencontres de Bamako, African Photography Biennial, Bamako, Mali.
2017 Traversé(e)s, Résidence 1+2, Musée Paul Dupuis, Toulouse.
2016 Moraingy, Festival Manifesto, Toulouse.
Collections :
Fondation H, Antananarivo, Madagascar.
Hasnaine Yavarhoussen (private collection), Antananarivo, Madagascar.
Musée National du Mali, Mali, Bamako.
Residencies, Grants & Awards :
2018 Honorable mention LCC Program prize, Casablanca, Maroc.
2016 Grand Prix ETPA, Toulouse, France.
Press & Publications :
Chris Broughton, "My Best Shot" in The Guardian (Nov. 2023).
Roxana Azimi, "La scène artistique Malgache trouve de nouveaux mécènes” in L’hebdo du Quotidien de l’art (Mar. 2021).
Christian Sanna, “Photo Journal Monday: Christian Sanna” in Musée Magazine online at [https://museemagazine.com/culture/2021/1/4/photo-journal-monday-christian-sanna], (Jan. 2021).
Jeanne Mercier, “Lettres à Embona - Interview de Christian Sanna” in Afrique in Visu
at [https://www.afriqueinvisu.org/lettres-a-embona/], (Jan. 2021).
Christian Sanna, Chère Embona. Antananarivo: Fondation H, 2021.
Christian Sanna, “Portfolio: Morengy” in Indigo Magazine n°4 (Apr. 2019).
Christian Sanna, Afrotopia in the catalog of 11th edition Rencontres de Bamako African Biennale of Photography, 2017.
Ariño, Moquin, Sanna, Traversé(e)s”. France: Éditions Filigranes & Résidence 1+2, 2017.
Eric Karsenty, “Sur les traces de l’Aéropostale” in Fisheye Magazine (Sep. 2017).