Cristina de Middel on translating scent into image at Quai de la Photo

Spanish photographer Cristina de Middel (born 1975 in Alicante) presents 'The Fragrance of Trelawny' at Quai de la Photo in Paris, a series commissioned by Velier and Hampden Estate to visually interpret the olfactory identity of the Jamaican rum distillery. The project is the third collaboration between Magnum Photos and the Caribbean company, with images used as labels for limited-edition magnum bottles auctioned at Whisky Live Paris. De Middel, who studied fine arts and photojournalism and worked as a reporter before finding her voice in authored photography, is known for her debut 'The Afronauts' (2012) reimagining Zambia's 1960s space program. She joined Magnum Photos in 2013 and served as its president from 2022 to 2024, steering the agency toward new languages, markets, and dialogues with brands and cultural institutions. In an interview, she describes the creative process as a playful laboratory where reality and invention merge, involving red carpets at sunset, dew-soaked fabrics, and peacocks in fermentation rooms. On photography's role today, she argues its mission is not moral testimony but helping audiences develop visual literacy to critically read images, especially amid geopolitical conflicts and AI challenges. The exhibition runs at Quai de la Photo, an underground space dedicated to contemporary photography on the Seine.