'Africolor': The Unexpected Icon

Clockwise from left: Mickalene Thomas, Daniele Tamgni, Make Up For Ever, NARS, Daniele Tamagni, Rescue Beauty, Thakoon FW2011 - Luca Cannonieri / GoRunway.com, YSL FW2011 - Luca Cannonieri / GoRunway.com

Africa, as a continent, has always been known for its bright, vivid colors -- seen in everything from vibrant woven textiles to lively painted buildings to the traditional way of dress. "Africolor," a new exhibition which opened at Danziger Projects in New York last week, focuses on these subjects, as well as its connections with color photography. The show features many works from Italian photographer Daniele Tamagni, as well as other European and African artists.

Tamagni's photos, which also appear in his 2009 book "Gentlemen of Bacongo," are from a trip to the Atlantic coast of Africa, where he documented the obscure Congalese sub-culture of the sappers or La SAPE, a French acronym for La Societe des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Elegantes, which translates as the society of atmosphere setters and elegant people. La SAPE are a group of exquisitely dressed men who have an affinity for extreme color and impeccable tailoring. Their influences can be traced back to the French colonists who arrived wearing equally outlandish clothes.

This week we're inspired by Tamagni's incredible images of the Gentlemen of Bacongo and other works from the "Africolor" exhibition, which remind us of the deeply saturated plum-colored lips at YSL and the fuchsia eyeshadow at
Thakoon.

Click to learn more about "Africolor" and Daniele Tamagni.

Where to buy:

Make Up For Ever Waterproof Cream Color in Turquoise, $22 , makeupforever.com

NARS Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner, $23, narscosmetics.com

Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polish in Yellow Fever, $18, rescuebeauty.com

"Gentlemen of Bacongo" by Daniele Tamagni, $245.98, amazon.com