Jérôme de Missolz Retrospective at Paris tout court Festival

The 5th edition of the Festival Paris tout court in January will feature a retrospective of Jérôme de Missolz's films on photography, including works on Jan Saudek, Joël-Peter Witkin, Francesca Woodman, and Isabelle. In an interview with critic Louis-José Lestocart, de Missolz discusses the coincidences linking these photographers: Saudek admired Witkin, and model Isabelle posed for both Saudek and Witkin. De Missolz's film on Saudek re-stages ten photos, including 'A View from My Window' and 'Wedding,' exploring the artist's courage under communist repression. For Witkin, de Missolz follows him to morgues in Mexico, Budapest, and São Paulo, capturing the 'brutality of facts' and the limits of representation. The Woodman film uses actress Florence to re-enact Woodman's self-portraits, focusing on ephemerality and disappearance. De Missolz employs different film formats—Super 8, 16mm, digital—to reflect the materiality of photography. The interview also touches on ethical questions, the role of chance, and the power dynamics in art production.