Formalism and Social Documentary in Photography: Belin, Rousse, Soth, Graham

The Maison Européenne de la Photographie (MEP) in Paris presented two retrospectives: Valérie Belin (1996-2006) and Georges Rousse (Tour d'un monde), both running from April 9 to June 8, 2008. Belin's work evolved from object portraits (glassware, wedding dresses, engines, crashed cars) to bodybuilders, Moroccan brides, and finally to faces in series like Transsexuals, Black Women, and Models, with Black Women achieving a formal and iconic perfection. Rousse creates anamorphic geometric paintings in abandoned buildings, photographed to resolve the perspective, with recurring circles and vibrant colors at sites like Casablanca (2003), Chesterfield (2006), Vitré (2005), and Bhakapur (2005). The review notes Rousse's work has remained static for twenty years, unlike Belin's internal evolution. At Galerie du Jeu de Paume (April 15 – June 15, 2008), Alec Soth's 'L'Espace entre nous' presents his poetic documentary style, with series like Sleeping by the Mississippi (1999-2002), Niagara (2004-05), and Dog Days, Bogota (2003), capturing melancholic portraits and landscapes. Paul Graham's 'A Shimmer of Possibility' at Galerie Les Filles du calvaire (May 6 – June 15, 2008) and later at Galerie carlier | gebauer, Berlin (until July 26) uses cinematic sequences to document everyday banality, continuing his social critique from American Night (2006).