Art correspondent Zoé Isle de Beauchaine has shared her favorite discoveries from the hundreds of works displayed at this year's Paris Photo, the prestigious international photography fair. The annual event, curated by Florence Bourgeois and Anna Planas who travel the world meeting gallery owners, maintains constant dialogue with the cutting edges of the international photography scene. This year's edition at the Grand Palais features fresh perspectives, with nearly one-third of participating galleries making their debut at the fair.
In the Emerging section, which spotlights young galleries, hybrid approaches to photography dominate the landscape, though some works celebrate the poetic power of the medium in its purest form. Paris gallery Obsession showcases András Ladocsi, a Hungarian photographer and professional swimmer whose athletic background informs a liberated approach to photographing the human body. His work observes all bodies with striking tenderness, bringing a unique perspective to contemporary portrait photography.
Just steps away, Swiss gallery Espace Jörg Brockmann presents Marine Lanier's "Le Jardin d'Hannibal," an evocative fable addressing climate change through documentation of the glaciers of the Meije and their diverse flora, preserved by dedicated researchers. Both photography series are accompanied by publications in the fair's Edition section, with "Void" representing Ladocsi's work and "Poursuite" showcasing Lanier's environmental project.
The main section features several notable debuts, including Saudi Arabia's first representation through Hafez Gallery from Jeddah, which presents a solo exhibition by Nora Alissa. Drawing inspiration from her country's traditional folk dances, Alissa's photographs employ blur techniques to weave a visual narrative exploring collective memory and connecting past, present, and future. Swedish gallery WILLAS Contemporary also makes its debut, presenting Jeff Cowen's "Provence Work," previously unseen in France. Cowen's approach draws freely on painting and collage alongside traditional darkroom techniques, transforming Provençal landscapes into a meditative series.
Shanghai's DON gallery contributes to the international dialogue by highlighting Ningde Wang's documentary series focusing on a troupe of itinerant Chinese performers from the 1990s. Wang's work captures the social reality of marginalized communities during China's period of rapid economic transformation, offering insight into a pivotal moment in the country's modern history.
The Voices sector, dedicated to landscape photography and curated by historian Devika Singh, features MONOPOL's presentation of 1970s photographs by conceptual artist Maria Michałowska. Her work represents a typographic and typological exploration of both natural and urban landscapes, revealing the latent poetry found within archival photographic material.
The Elles x Paris Photo route, curated by Devrim Bayar, offers a particularly rich selection exploring the dialogue between bodies and contexts throughout photographic history. The curated path spans from Pre-Raphaelite work by Julia Margaret Cameron, presented by Hans P. Kraus Jr. Inc, to the politically engaged contemporary art of Syrian artist Huda Takriti, showcased by Crone gallery. The route also includes Sibylle Bergemann's subtle interventions on themes of power, presented by LOOCK gallery.
A special highlight of the Elles route is "At Twelve: Portraits of Young Women (1983-1985)" by Sally Mann, described as an intimate yet universal portrait of adolescence. Jackson Fine Art presents this significant work in print format for the first time, offering visitors a rare opportunity to experience these influential photographs in their intended medium.
The exhibition concludes with Barbara Crane's distinctive approach to portraiture, which offers a different perspective on human documentation. During the 1970s, Crane photographed visitors at the exit of the Museum of Science and Industry, using a simple protocol to create complex portraits of her contemporaries. Her work serves as a testament to the enduring power of photography in its most straightforward and honest form, demonstrating how technical simplicity can yield profound artistic results.
