Photographer Safidy Andrian Surprises Whitman with Artist Talk

The Sheehan Gallery hosted a surprise talk from Malagasy photographer and humanitarian Safidy Andrian. 

The impromptu lecture was held Oct. 2 at the Foust Artist Studio and lasted approximately 40 minutes. Andrian, who was already in the U.S. as a guest of the state department, was invited to Whitman by guest curator Cay Craig and Daniel Forbes, director of the Sheehan Gallery.

Forbes became inspired to include Andrian’s photos in the exhibit after viewing his work online.

 “Andrian strikes me as a remarkable individual for several reasons. He came into photography with no formal training and works with very limited equipment,”  he said. “He has an extraordinary eye and his integrity in the way that he depicts his subjects is moving. The way he multi-layers his photographs and pairs images create rich imagery both visually and in content.”

During his talk, the self-taught artist shared his journey to finding his passion with the audience.

Madagascar is a country with limited resources, he said. Andrian was inspired by his mother to devote himself to his studies, which enabled him to receive a scholarship to go to school in France.  

While in France, Andrian earned a degree in engineering but became disillusioned once he discovered part of his job responsibility included making weapons. He quit his job and traveled to New York City to study English. While in NYC, Andrian used his engineering skills to create a program to take aerial photographs for a mapping project. 

Upon returning to Madagascar, the budding photographer decided to dedicate himself to his art.

His series of photographs of trash littering due to a political conflict was picked up by a popular Malagasy magazine and jumpstarted his career. Andrian was also commissioned to take photography for the U.S. Embassy.

His work as a photographer led to his work as a humanitarian. Recently, Andrian launched a school in a rough neighborhood in Madagascar comprised of volunteer teachers and enables Malagasy children the opportunity to receive an education. 

 “Requiem for a Rainforest” marks Andrian’s first formal exhibition and is one component of “Requiem for a Rainforest: CPALI and Friends,” the companion exhibit to “The Nature of the Stitch.” Both are currently on display at the Sheehan Gallery until Dec. 7, 2018.

Whitman Newsroom 2018

Photo: Safidy Andrian