Five Strange Family Albums at Le Bal, Paris

Le Bal in Paris presents 'Cinq étranges albums de famille', an exhibition running from January 14 to April 17, 2011, curated by Dominique Païni. The show explores five family archives by photographers who assert artistic intent beyond mere documentation. Ralph Eugene Meatyard's masked portraits use accessories to highlight individuality, while his Lucybelle Crater series evokes Robert Frank's 'The Americans'. Emmet Gowin, once a model for Meatyard, captures the erotic and anxious presence of his wife and family, influenced by Charles Laughton's 'The Night of the Hunter'. Sadie Benning's amateur films, as daughter of experimental filmmaker James Benning, feature masks echoing Meatyard. Erik Kessels contributes a short film with repetitive, stuttering edits reminiscent of Martin Arnold, revealing a death. Alexandra Sanguinetti closes with large-format contemporary works. The exhibition links biological and aesthetic families.