Régis Durand's Disparités: Essays on Photographic Experience

Régis Durand's Disparités, published by Éditions de la Différence, is a collection of essays on photographic experience following his earlier work La Part de l'ombre (1990). The book reflects Durand's dual role as critic and director of the Centre national de la photographie (CNP) since 1996, a position he acknowledges demands 'a certain theoretical humility.' Only two texts from CNP exhibitions are included (on T. Ruff and H. Collins) to preserve critical integrity. The essays explore the field of photography's autonomy and heteronomy, addressing its fragmentation into diverse forms and uses. Durand critiques attempts by R. Barthes and R. Krauss to resolve photography's enigma through theory. A chapter is devoted to the 'German school' (Ruff, Struth, Gursky, Demand) and Hannah Collins, examining the ambiguity between spectator and image via photographic recording of surfaces, signs, and historical deposits. Additional readings cover C. Sherman, G. Rousse, and E.-L. Ahtila. The collection aims to present the critic's workshop—the objects and contexts shaping his thought—amidst a career spanning regular contributions to art press.