Paris Photo 2023 — Selections
Every year, the arrival of Paris Photo attracts many professionals in the world of photography. The galleries are waiting for this moment to show the works of their most representative artists or those who will set the next trends. That is why, although we have not had the opportunity to attend yet, Paris Photo 2023 is a must for every photography enthusiast. Hereafter you will find out some of the works and artists that caught our attention this year.
Museums are primarily associated with places dedicated to the conservation and preservation of historical objects. In recent years, these institutions have come under scrutiny due to the fact that many of these objects — which we contemplate with an almost “sacred” aura — are the visible proof of colonialism. Relics and trophies of the winners over the vanquished are exhibited in major museums all over the world, perpetuating classism between cultures. Usus Fructus Abusus reflects on how these spaces became writers of collective memory and the possibility of restituting these objects to repair the historical wounds.
Encompassing photography, video, sound and installation, Widline Cadet’s works revolve around her experiences of immigrating from Haiti to the United States. Through archival material and portraits of her family members, Cadet explores the complexities of Black diaspora. Whether indoors or outdoors, domestic spaces play a fundamental role in her narrative, as they create the safe space that is so necessary when one finds oneself in an unfamiliar place. In some of her images, such as Manyen Distans (Touching Distance), one can observe this dichotomy between proximity and distance in which many people who have had to emigrate find themselves.
This collaborative project between Eléonore Lubna and Louis Matton pays attention to the struggles of the Awajún people in the Amazonian area of Peru to stop Werner Herzog from shooting a film on its territory. Indigenous population fought for months against this event claiming their rights for self-determination of their territory. The so-called “Herzog Event” resulted in one of the first forms of collective resistance in the Peruvian Amazon against colonialism.Lubna and Matton joined forces with members of the Wawaim Native Community to tell together how it has influenced indigenous people politically, strategically and culturally ever since.
They have a domestic character. A photograph of an everyday landscape. Taken without much consideration for framing. From those family holidays that happened once a year. During the summer. Yuki Shimizu’s images are really captivating by the way she treats them. Her chromogenic prints come from negatives on which she applies seawater and sand. She recreates the local landscapes and the histories that they unfold by creating an effect similar to glass. For Shimizu, the translucent material allows people to see something else, and acts as a metaphor of the modernization of these local scenes.
Each territory is linked in many ways to the historical events that took place. Memory is a determining factor that leaves its mark on the landscape itself. From social events to armed confrontations, María Bleda and José María Rosa have explored the genre of landscape linked to the events that shaped it. Through their research, we discover that territory is nothing more than a generational intersection of numerous cultures and histories. The duo map each of the locations based on a methodology that has been refined over the years. Their interest lies not in presenting sublime landscapes but rather in showing their geography as it is today.
Following the mythological odyssey of Ulyses, Massao Mascaro toured several Mediterranean regions to unveil the stories of the inhabitants of this influential sea. Each of his images in this series offers an interesting encounter between the contemporary world of its people and the printing press — still present in many areas — of the ancient world. The Mediterranean Sea has been the subject of many photographers for its light and characteristic warm colours. Mascaro opts for black and white images with the aim of providing that lyricism related to the ancient past, without losing the warmth that is captured by the shadows and contrasts of his images.
Nhu Xuan Hua’s seemingly disturbing images have an interesting relationship to psychology. Inspired by Nathalie Sarraute’s Tropism, Nhu Xuan Hua began to investigate internal human reactions to stimuli and how these responses derive from primal needs. Her family archive was decisive for this research, as the photographs provoked in her a sense of having received an inherited memory. Each image mainly excludes bodies, but their forms remain perceptible, at least a diluted version of them. Nhu Xuan Hua’s process consists of altering a reality in which she was not present but to which she feels closely connected.
For Colombian visual artist Andres Baron this edition marks his first solo presentation at Paris Photo. Conceived specifically for it, the individual project entitled Surfaces Dépliées puts the focus on tangible properties of images whilst also exploring how we interpret them. By combining photographs and videos, Baron accentuates the multiplicities of both media and how they generate links that challenge our perception. Whether it is the palette or the different sizes in which the photographs were presented, the series generates a visual rhythm that is often lacking in such crowded fairs.
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Text by:
Juan Blasco — Founder & Curator of Conceptual Projects
