Paris Photography Scene in 2009: A Critical Review
By late 2009, the photography landscape in Paris was uninspired, with fine-art photography merely rehashing old styles and photojournalism failing to connect with current events, as evidenced by the Iranian protests. Paris-Photo functioned primarily as a commercial venue, while the Robert Delpire retrospective at MEP served as a tribute to history. Michael Kenna's landscapes were criticized for their dullness, and Claire Chevrier's exploration of megacities was seen as lacking creativity. At Photo Levallois, Xavier Zimmermann examined the interplay between photography and space. Notably, Adam Broomberg & Olivier Chanarin's exhibition, The Day Where Nobody Died (2008), creatively utilized sunlight exposure. Autumn also showcased photo books like Stéphane Couturier's Melting Power and featured exhibitions such as Chevrier at Centre photographique d'Île-de-France (Sept 25–Dec 20) and Broomberg & Chanarin at Galerie Karsten Greve (Nov 19–Jan 7).
Key facts
- Paris photography scene in late 2009 was described as a desert.
- Fine-art photography was recycling forms and digital fascination.
- Documentary photography was stagnating.
- Photojournalism was disconnected from live events, exemplified by Twitter images during Iranian protests.
- Paris-Photo was more a marketplace than a research venue.
- Robert Delpire retrospective at MEP was a historical homage.
- Michael Kenna's landscapes were boring.
- Gilbert Garcin's vignettes lacked Jacques Tati's genius.
- Claire Chevrier photographed megacities Bombay, Cairo, Hong Kong, Lagos, Los Angeles.
- Chevrier's three typologies: Paysage-ville, Espace+construction, Croisement-ville.
- Chevrier's sequences on human activity in Romans were most relevant.
- Xavier Zimmermann exhibited at Photo Levallois festival.
- Zimmermann's series Paysages ordinaires and Shadows.
- Zimmermann's video of felines in Berlin Zoo as allegory of incarceration.
- Adam Broomberg & Olivier Chanarin exhibited at Galerie Karsten Greve (Nov 19–Jan 7).
- Broomberg & Chanarin's The Day Where Nobody Died (2008) exposed photographic paper instead of showing corpses.
- Afterlife recontextualized Jahangir Razmi's 1979 image of Kurdish prisoners.
- Red House (2005) showed graffiti by Kurdish prisoners in Saddam Hussein's headquarters.
- American Landscape presented empty spaces.
- Stéphane Couturier's Melting Power on Alstom factories.
- Alain Pras's Images de fer on industrial heritage.
- Caroline Bach's Le Cycle du travail on labor.
- Berlin, l'effacement des traces on East Berlin memory.
- Reflexio exhibition at Santander Cultural in Alegre.
- Claire Chevrier exhibition at Centre photographique d'Île-de-France (Sept 25–Dec 20).
- Xavier Zimmermann exhibition at Photo-Levallois (Nov 20–Dec 24).
Entities
Artists
- Claire Chevrier
- Xavier Zimmermann
- Adam Broomberg
- Olivier Chanarin
- Michael Kenna
- Gilbert Garcin
- Jacques Tati
- Stéphane Couturier
- Alain Pras
- Caroline Bach
- Jean-Claude Mouton
- Valérie Jouve
- Suzanne Lafont
- Jean-Luc Moulène
- Catherine Rebois
- Éric Rondepierre
- Patrick Tosani
- Fernand Léger
- Charles Scheeler
- Bernd Becher
- Hilla Becher
- Cy Twombly
- Jahangir Razmi
- Robert Delpire
Institutions
- art press
- Paris-Photo
- MEP (Maison Européenne de la Photographie)
- Photo Levallois
- Galerie Karsten Greve
- Centre photographique d'Île-de-France
- Santander Cultural
- Alstom
- BBC
- Saddam Hussein's headquarters
Locations
- Paris
- France
- Bombay
- India
- Cairo
- Egypt
- Hong Kong
- China
- Lagos
- Nigeria
- Los Angeles
- United States
- Romans
- Levallois
- Berlin
- Germany
- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- Helmand province
- Iran
- Belfort
- Alegre
- Brazil
Sources
- artpress —