Born in 1989, Malagasy-Italian.
Resides and work in Antananarivo, Madagascar

Christian Sanna is a contemporary photographer and artist. Known for his black and white analog photography, Sanna’s images are characterized by a dramatic and evocative poetic style. His image creation is not bound by a specific theme but rather emerges from a spontaneous process of observation and reaction to his surroundings. Sanna intuitively captures whatever draws his attention, reflecting afterwards on the significance of those subjects to further develop his photographic series.

Sanna’s artistic practice includes both large-scale and intimate photographic prints, alongside installations and sculptures composed of numerous photographs taken over extended periods. His photographic language leverages the inherent polysemy of the medium, crafting images with intentional ambiguity and multiple layers of meaning and interpretation. By blending the tangible elements of photography with conceptual exploration, Sanna creates works that transcend mere visual representation. 

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).