Paris Photo has been a key event in the Parisian cultural scene since its first edition in 1997, and the OG Photography fair returns to the newly restored Grand Palais for its 27th Edition. Paris Photo annually brings together the most renowned international galleries and publishers of contemporary and modern photography, and this year features 240 exhibitors from 34 countries, reinforcing the status of Paris as a world-class cultural capital.
Credit Lee Sharrock
The Main Sector of Paris Photo 2024, situated in the nave of the Grand Palais, brings together 147 galleries and juxtaposes icons of photography with new international participations. A new Voices Sector launches this year, led by curators Sonia Voss, Azu Nwagbogu and Elena Navarro, and the Emergence Sector curated by Anna Planas showcases 23 contemporary monographic projects. The Digital Sector launched in 2023 returns under the direction of Nina Roehrs, presenting artistic projects involving digital realities and the evolution of digital practices within photography as part of contemporary art.
Jim Jarmusch, the US film director known for “Stranger than Paradise” and a body of work exploring existential questions who often uses Surreal storytelling devices, has been invited by Paris Photo to select his favourite photographs, and visitors can follow ‘Parcours’ or ‘paths’ through the fair to find his 34 selections. Jarmusch’s picks coincide with the centenary of Surrealism, and he has selected works by artists including David Hockney, Man Ray, Paolo Reversi, Peter Hujar, and Robert Frank. I visited the 27th edition of Paris Photo and selects five favourite exhibits to look out for. ‘Hiroshi Sugimoto: Distillé 1976-2024’ at Fraenkel Gallery, ‘Avedon & Me’ Curated by Tyler Mitchell at Gagosian, a group exhibition presented by Howard Greenberg, Saul Leiter at Gallery Fifty One, and Surrealist-inspired images picked by Indie filmmaker Jim Jarmusch.
Photograph
Credit Lee Sharrock
1. ‘Hiroshi Sugimoto: Distillé 1976-2024’ at Fraenkel Gallery.
Fraenkel Gallery is presenting an unforgettable solo presentation of works by Hiroshi Sugimoto that demonstrate the range and depth of his conceptual practice. A breathtaking new photographic work depicting Mount Fuji, printed on a folding screen, is the focal point, and highlights of Sugimoto’s celebrated series including Theaters, Sea of Buddha, Five Elements, Brush Impression, Seascapes, Opticks, and Past Presence are also exhibited.
Sugimoto interprets masterpieces of Modernist sculpture in Past Presence, creating dreamlike photographs of Giacometti sculptures. The recent exhibition Giacometti/Sugimoto: Staged at the Institut Giacometti in Paris paired Sugimoto’s photographs with Giacometti’s sculpture and ancient Noh masks from the artist’s collection.
Photograph Credit Lee Sharrock
2. ‘Avedon & Me’ Curated by Tyler Mitchell at Gagosian.
A highlight of the Secteur Principal (Principal Sector) is Gagosian’s booth curated by Tyler Mitchell featuring his images in conversation with iconic photos by Avedon (1923-2024). Mitchell’s curatorial debut juxtaposes his own prints from the past 6 years with Avedon’s works from the 1960s.
Mitchell is a leading voice in contemporary photography and his unique vision is evident in this curated dialogue between his oeuvre and Avedon’s iconic images.
The 1960s were a period of deepening social engagement for Avedon that he would continue through the rest of his life. Central to this era is his groundbreaking collaboration with James Baldwin on Nothing Personal (1964), a book that pairs Baldwin’s words and Avedon’s photographs, offering powerful reflections on race, identity, and society. Avedon’s work from this period holds particular significance for Mitchell, as it reflects how Avedon captured both famous and ordinary individuals, weaving together a complex portrait of the people and cultures that shape American society. The balance between elegance, humanism, and social commentary is also a driving theme in Mitchell’s practice.
Photograph Credit Lee Sharrock
3. Group exhibition at Howard Greenberg.
New York City gallery Howard Greenberg is showcasing an impressive roster of legendary photographers who have defined and shaped the art of photography, including; Ansel Adams, Brassai, Edward Burtynsky, William Eggleston, Elliott Erwitt, Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Dorothea Lange, Jacques Henri Lartigue, Jungjin Lee, Saul Leiter, Leon Levinstein, Man Ray, Sarah Moon, Arnold Newman, Gordon Parks, Irving Penn, Peter Sekaer, W. Eugene Smith, Alfred Stieglitz, Shoji Ueda, and Edward Weston.
4. Saul Leiter at Fifty One gallery.
Highlights of Belgian gallery Fifty One’s booth featuring selected photographers from the roster include Saul Leiter’s enigmatic monochrome and colour chromogenic prints capturing everyday scenes of the 1950s, and Harry Gruyaert’s technicolour archival pigment prints of New York City in the 1980s.
5. Surrealist-inspired selections from Indie filmmaker Jim Jarmusch.
Independent Filmmaker and artist Jim Jarmusch is a guest curator of Paris Photo 2024 and has selected 34 photographs dotted throughout the fair. His selection inspired by the 100th anniversary of Surrealism includes Paolo Reversi ‘Audrey, Paris, 1996’ at Galerie Camera Obscura and Miguel Angel Rojas at Galeria la Cometa in the Voices Sector. Jarmusch will be in conversation with Philippe Azoury about impact of Surrealism on his work.
Paris Photo is at the Grand Palais in Paris until 10th November, 2024.
©2024 Lee Sharrock
Lee Sharrock is a global creative PR consultant, curator and writer for publications including; Art Doc Photography Magazine, ArtLyst, Creative Review, FAD Magazine, F22, Runway Gallery Magazine, Soho House Magazine and STATE.
