For his 26the edition, the photography fair opens up on digital and emerging artists. Event Director Florence Bourgeois details the program for us.
A meeting place for artists, institutions, curators, collectors, the Paris Photo Fair opens its doors from November 9 to 12. This twenty-sixth edition is held in the temporary Grand Palais for the last time before returning in 2024 to the Grand Palais and its extended grounds. An update on the talent and discovery-rich program with event director Florence Bourgeois.
Madame Figaro. – Women are in the center of attention, female curators and photographer-artists. What is their representation?
Florence Bourgeois. – The representation of women in Paris Photo increased from 20% to 36% in five years. It’s a long-term commitment. Our Elles × Paris Photo program, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Kering’s Women on the Move, is virtuous. Every year we ask a museum curator to create an itinerary that highlights women.
Guest curator is Fiona Rogers, from the Parasol Women in Photography Fund at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. What is the theme chosen for this publication?
Working from the premise that all art will be personal and that the process and experience of production will be an extension of ourselves, he focused on artists for whom this statement rings true. These photographers, contemporary or historical, established or emerging, are inspired by their personal experiences as women, migrants, queer people, mothers, daughters to create works that reflect their lives. Among others, let’s cite Graciela Iturbide, Zanele Mukholi, Elena Yemchuk…
Five years into this journey, you pull out the book they published by Textuel. And what about that?
This publication brings together 130 testimonials from selected artists over the years. Each wrote a text, as did the five commissioners. It is a testament to our commitment.
How many galleries for this edition of Paris Photo?
We have 149 galleries (from 189 exhibitors), including 47 new ones. We have a core of historic galleries, such as Thomas Zander, in Cologne, Howard Greenberg and Edwin Hooke, in New York, Françoise Pavio and Les Filles du calvaire, in Paris… There is always a third of new galleries that add freshness. . They go through the selection committee, which chooses based on the project and production. Among the new participations: Alexandre Levy from Berlin, or Albaran Bourdain and 1 Mira Madrid from Madrid.
We can mention the return of Japanese galleries, which did not return after the epidemic.
Florence Bourgeois
What about international representation?
We have a very significant geographical presence with 24 countries. Two-thirds of the galleries are European, half of which are French (46). The second geographic focus is North America, with 25 galleries from the US and 2 from Canada. We can also mention the return of Japanese galleries, which did not return after the epidemic.
You have three sections. With what distribution?
The main sector is in the Jean-Michel Wilmot building with big names (Robert Frank, Diane Arbus, Brassai, Frank Horvath…). Curiosa, dedicated to emergence, is located in the Eiffel Gallery, where the publishers are also located; I insist. 36 publishers from 9 countries. A photograph would not be what it is without the book that conveys it. This year we have about 400 signatures and donations. So visitors can meet the artists and vice versa. Wonderful times.
And you’ve also created a digital segment…
This new field dedicated to photography in the digital age is curated by digital art specialist Nina Roers. Paris Photo is the first European art fair to dedicate part of its programming to digital. It’s about exploring the limits of the average. The way we relate to digital revolves around images: gifs, selfies, drones or images taken by influencers… This has created new visual and practical formats.
What practices are represented?
The exhibitions take a critical look at the relationship between contemporary culture, digitization and art. There is a wide variety of media: artificial intelligence (AI), algorithms, applications, augmented reality, blockchain, NFT, etc. Digital tools are accelerating, and artists are facing them. We will find works created by AI.
As always, you present solo and duet shows in the main section…
Twenty six ! Solo exhibitions include recent works by Samuel Fosso, Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize winner at Christophe Person (Paris). Photographers Gallery (London) presents Vasantha Yogananthan and his new work Mysterious street. Our wallpaper visual comes from this series. Galerie RX (Paris) offers a visual journey through history okra, a 17-meter-long panorama by visual artist Pascal Convert. The duet shows an exploration of a 1970s photo diary: Everyday Self PortraitsBy Melissa Shook and 365 Diary:By Ken O’Hara.
Paris Photo is the first European art fair to dedicate part of its programming to digital
Florence Bourgeois
What themes emerge from programming?
The landscape and environment are very present. Thus, the monumental works of Julius von Bismarck (presented by Alexander Levy, Berlin), or the return of the walking artist Hamish Fulton (1 Mira Madrid), who has established a physical and mental connection with the landscape for half a century. There are also Italian classics by Guido Guidi, Luigi Ghirri, Franco Gerzoni… Other themes: history and memory, or humanity, friendship, transmission.
How many visitors are you expecting?
In 2022, we had 61,000 visitors, but the temporary Grand Palais has limited capacity. The main thing is that Paris Photo remains an international platform, a unique opportunity to meet about 150 galleries and 800 artists. Let’s not forget that photography is often the entry point to start a collection.
Paris Photo, November 9-12 at the temporary Grand Palais in Paris. parisphoto.com:
Source: Le Figaro
