Contemporary art curator Bisi Silva has been announced as artistic director of the 10th Bamako Encounters, African Biennial of Photography, which will take place from October 31 to December 31, 2015.

For the 10^th edition of the event, which is titled “TELLING TIME,” Silva plans to explore the relationship between images and time, through a consideration of Mali’s tradition of storytelling, and its recent political upheavals. “The Bamako Encounters is the most important platform for African photography,” she said, “and I am honored by the opportunity to draw on the working relationships with artists and organisations in the city as well as from across the continent.”

Silva is the founder and artistic director of the Centre for Contemporary Art in Lagos, which promotes research and hosts exhibitions relating to contemporary art in Africa and abroad. She has published in a number of arts publications and was a member of the international jury for the 55th Venice Biennale. She was also co-curator of “The Progress of Love,” a transcontinental collaboration across the US and Nigeria in 2012, and serves as curatorial advisor to London’s art gallery Tiwani Contemporary.

Founded in 1994, Bamako Encounters is co-organized and co-produced by the country’s Ministry of Culture and l’Institut Français. The event focuses on the promotion of photography and video in Africa through a series of exhibits across the city.

Speaking about Silva’s appointment, Bamako Encounters executive director, Samuel Sidibé said, “We look forward to both working with Bisi Silva on the realization of her exciting vision for the next biennial, and to the possibilities the event offers for future generations of African photographers.”