To celebrate its quarter century, the fair is taking up residence in the temporary Grand Palais. Meeting with its director Florence Bourgeois.
A photo of Paris? The first international fair dedicated to the photographic environment. Since 1997, it has worked to develop and support creativity, and from November 10 to 13, it invites actress Rosie de Palma as a guest of honor. Florence Bourgeois details the plan in detail.
Miss Figaro.– Why did you choose Rossi de Palma as the guest of honor?
Florence Bourgeois. – We were interested in the multiplicity of his career. Actress, singer, model, she has toured with many directors, led by Pedro Almodovar. As a fashion icon, he has inspired many photographers such as Alberto García-Alix, Pierre et Gilles, Richard Avedon, Roxanne Lovitt or Gorka Postigo.
How about a Gorka Postigo poster featuring Rossi de Palma and a parrot, nose and beak in profile?
We were seduced by this cinematic character, whose liveliness matches the actress’s gorgeous personality. Portrait produced in 2018 for the Spanish edition fashion plays with fantasy, beauty, art history and the absurd. On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Paris Photo, Rossi has selected 25 works by Herb Ritts, Bruce Weber, Brassa, Mircea Kantor, Agnes Varda… Visitors will be able to discover his favorites and aesthetics from the gallery stands. He himself wrote a little poem to represent his choice. “The eye is a camera / A photograph is a screen / A camera, a shield / A weapon to witness, to reveal, to exalt, to disfigure the truth / A poetic gaze / A frozen emotion / A gift for memory / An excuse to capture the temporal / Life and death in an instant / Misery and beauty / Shadow and the light.”
Highlights of Paris Photo’s 25th anniversary.
For twenty-five years, the fair has worked for the entire ecosystem: exhibitors, curators, collectors, hobbyists… It is a platform for discovery and exchange. The move from the Carousel du Louvre to the Grand Palais, which gave it greater stature, was an important step. More space made it possible to combine more exhibitions, but also a program of talks. We will have conversations about photo performance, artificial intelligence, the metaverse, NFTs… Editors have also taken their place. This year we have 34. Thanks to them, we can offer signatures of 300 artists. This allows visitors, not all of whom are collectors and not all of whom have the budget to purchase a shot, to leave with a book signed by the photographer.
For twenty-five years, the fair has worked for the entire ecosystem: exhibitors, curators, collectors, hobbyists…
Florence Bourgeois
And the transition from the Grand Palais to the transient Grand Palais?
The architecture, with its two rooms, works very well. It was as if there were two atmospheres. It creates excitement. On one side, the main sector and traditional galleries, on the other, the Curiosa sector, curated by Holly Roussel, dedicated to emerging galleries, talks, partner exhibitions. JPMorgan presents a selection of its collection Various Lenses reflecting sixty years of photographic work with a focus on female artists. BMW Art Makers presents Peripheral sum By Arash Hanae and Morad Montazami, who explore complex spaces like the metaverse between still images, video, 3D design.
How many galleries in total?
We have 134 galleries from 29 countries with 18 new entries. There will be 38 solo and duet shows, from Marina Abramović to Orlan. The Curiosa section brings together 16 galleries from 9 countries with 11 new entries. We present a panorama of photography over two centuries, from its birth to the avant-garde. It is important to emphasize that two-thirds of our exhibitors are foreigners. Local scenes are represented, South America and Central America, Eastern Europe… There are also two Turkish galleries, Iranian galleries, Lebanese galleries…
We present a panorama of photography over two centuries, from its birth to the avant-garde
Florence Bourgeois
Since 2018, you have initiated Elles × Paris Photo. How about this year?
We continue our commitment to women photographers with this program, which in particular has the support of Women in Motion, a Kering initiative, and promotes the visibility of women artists and their contribution to the history of photography. This 5e the publication was entrusted to Federica Ciocchetti, writer, curator, publisher and new director of the Museum of Fine Arts of Le Locle, Switzerland. For this journey, he chose unpublished female artists.
Which one?
The selection is as diverse as possible, both historically and geographically. It ranges from American Bertha E. From the earthy pine cyanotype of Jacques (1863-1941) to the Italian-American activist Tina Modotti (1896-1942), who established a photography practice in the bohemian scene from Mexico City in the 1920s, to the German radical artist Gabriel Stötzer, who produced works that questioned the role of women in East Germany. There are also newer works by South African artist Zanele Mukholi. Federica decided to extend this course to the field of books as well. Because it seems easier for a woman to publish a book than to be represented by a gallery.
There is still work to be done in the photo market…
Seventy-seven artists were selected. There are also historical photographers like Imogen Cunningham or Berenice Abbott.
How do you support young talent?
Through a white card. Paris Photo, the Picto Foundation and SNCF join forces to create a platform for discoveries, visibility, exchanges and meetings aimed at graduate or undergraduate students from European schools of photography and visual arts. Selected from one hundred schools, the projects of the four winners (Alessandra Leta, Jérémy Danon, Philippe Tsetinis and Sumi Anjouman) will be exhibited at the Gare de Lyon until November 30. Their portfolios will be presented in Paris Photo. It is not uncommon to find them on gallery pictures the following year. Paris Photo’s DNA is to showcase historic, contemporary photography before it emerges.
Paris Photo, November 10 to 13 at the temporary Grand Palais in Paris. parisphoto.com:
Source: Le Figaro
