Maurice Bidilou, also known as Pellosh, was a Congolese portrait photographer (15 August 1951 – 25 May 2023).[1] He produced small and medium format photographs of Congolese society in the early 1970s to mid 1990s.[2] He gained newfound recognition in 2021 after a series of solo shows. Before his death, he was described as "one of the last living masters of African photography".[3][4]
Early years
Pellosh was born in the southern rural area of Bouansa (Congo-Brazzaville), the second of six children.[1][4] His mother was a field-worker and his father was a warehouseman.[4] At the age of 14 he chose the nickname "Pellosh" based purely on its sound; coincidentally, it is similar to the word "pelloche", a slang term for a strip of film.[1][4]
He moved to Pointe-Noire at the age of seventeen with his brother. After working a few odd jobs, he decided to pursue photographic studies with the support of his uncle. In 1971, he started an apprenticeship at Studio Janot Père in exchange for a demijohn of wine, a chicken, a bunch of bananas, and 20,000 CFA francs.[1][4] He spent 20 months learning the practice of studio photography, particularly focused on the nuances of light and shadow.[4][5]
Photographic career
In 1973, Pellosh ordered his first camera from France, a 6x6 Yashica Mat-124 G.[1] He worked as a wandering photographer in the Mayombe area, capturing rural life.[5][6]
He opened his studio, Studio Pellosh, in Pointe-Noire on December 17, 1973.[5][7][8] The studio was located in the Rex district, close to the Central Market and Grand mosque.[3]
Studio Pellosh soon rose in popularity and became a place where families and friends came for a sitting, dressed in their best attire.[5][needs copy edit] Among them was the writer Alain Mabanckou, who was photographed at the age of nine.[9][10][11] It was particularly popular among participants in La Sape culture, or sapeurs, which was booming at the time;[4][5] in particular, there was a desire for photographic souvenirs which could be sent to relatives.[1][5]
Portraiture became a symbol of pride and emancipation in Congo-Brazzaville after the country gained its independence.[citation needed] In the evenings, Pellosh continued to cruise bars, ballrooms and concert halls to capture nightlife scenes.[4]
From the 1980s onwards, Maurice Pellosh moved away from black and white photography to color, due in part to decreasing availability of black-and-white photography development products.[1][12] In 1993 he contemplated moving the studio to Brazzaville, but the civil war of the 1990s made that impossible.[1][4] The rise of cheap instant cameras and digital photography in the 2000s led to a declining interest in studio photography,[1] and Pellosh finally closed his studio in 2016.[13] Over the span of 40 years, he captured thousands of portraits and scenes of Congolese society.[1]
Pellosh died on May 25, 2023, at the age of 71, following a fractured hip and a bout of malaria.[13][unreliable source?] He had a wife (Jackie), 6 children, and 17 grandchildren.[8][unreliable source?]
Late recognition and legacy
In 2019, Pellosh met curator Emmanuèle Béthery in Pointe-Noire through a mutual friend.[6][1] She described herself as "obsessed" with the yellowed photographs he presented to her.[1][tone] Soon after, she visited Pellosh in his home equipped with a lightbox. Together they began sorting the thousands of 6x6 negatives kept in Kodak boxes for nearly 50 years, decaying from damp and humidity.[4][14] Béthery sent around 8,000 of these negatives to Stéphane Cormier, a specialist in black and white prints, who confirmed that a majority of the photos could be recovered.[6][4] Béthery displayed and sold collectible silver prints of the photos on her Instagram page.[1][3]
The first exhibition, "Flash B(l)ack", was held in Paris in June 2021.[15][16] The second exhibition, "From West to East", took place in Dar es Salaam in October 2022.[17] The third exhibition, "Faces to Faces", took place in June 2023 in Paris.[18][19][needs copy edit]
As part of the "Traversées Africaines" art tour in Paris, Pellosh's photographs were displayed twice: "Pause Congolaise", the fourth exhibition, was held in May 2024,[20][21][22] and "Fringués comme Jamais", the fifth exhibition, was held in May 2025.[23][24]
Pellosh's photos were presented at the African Book Fair (Salon du Livre Africain) in September 2021 in Paris.[25][26]
Pellosh's work was showcased through a screening and presentation at the 16th edition of the "Nuits Photographiques de Pierrevert" in July 2024.[12]
During the first edition of the Pointe-Noire photo festival Ponton Photo, occurring from June 2025 to September 2025, around forty photos by Maurice Pellosh were exhibited.[37][failed verification]
Photographs by Pellosh were offered for sale at contemporary auctions at Drouot Auction House (Paris) in November 2023, in June 2024, in July 2024[40] at an auction organized during the Arles Photographic Meetings,[41] and in June 2025.[42][needs copy edit]
Currently, over 500 of Pellosh's photos are in exhibitions in France and the United States.[11][43]
