Montreal's Mois de la Photo Explores Photography and Present Time

The eighth edition of Le Mois de la photo à Montréal, titled 'Maintenant. Images du temps présent' (Now. Images of Present Time), runs from September 4 to October 28, 2003, across various venues in Montreal, Canada. Curated by Vincent Lavoie, the festival presents around twenty individual and thematic exhibitions examining event photography and its relationship to history, media, and the present moment. The program includes a comprehensive historical survey, 'Rise of the Picture Press' (produced by the International Center of Photography, New York), tracing the evolution of press photography from the late 19th century to the 1930s, highlighting developments in Germany, Russia, France, and the United States. Contemporary artists such as Adi Nes (Israel), Wang Qingsong (China), Luc Delahaye (France), Paul Seawright (UK), Elaine Sharpe (Canada), Alison Jackson (UK), Melvin Charney (Canada), Jacqueline Salmon (France), Dennis Adams (US), Alain Pratte (Canada), and Jayce Salloum (Canada) offer alternative approaches to photojournalism, critiquing sensationalism and exploring memory, conflict, and media spectacle. The accompanying catalogue, edited by Vincent Lavoie, includes an essay by Guy Bellavance on modernity and the temporalization of the image. The festival questions whether photography can still function as historical witness in an age of rapid media and visual monoculture.