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Yasuhiro Ishimoto (1921-2012), a Japanese photographer, may not be as well-known in France as Daido Moriyama, but he is nonetheless also a significant figure in the annals of Japanese photography. Ishimoto, who studied at the Institute of Design in Chicago from 1948 to 1952, is a unique example of cross-cultural education during a period when it was not as prevalent. After returning to Japan in 1953, he emerged as a prominent figure in the Japanese art world. Le Bal is showcasing a comprehensive retrospective of his work, titled “Lines and Bodies”, featuring a total of 169 rare prints, the majority of which are vintage and printed by Ishimoto himself. The exhibition includes a variety of images from both Chicago and Tokyo, demonstrating his approach of merging Japanese culture with Western influences. His photographs are graphic and occasionally stark. I was particularly drawn to his compositions that blend architecture and people. Ishimoto is also renowned for his depiction of the Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto, which sent “shockwaves through the world of architecture and design”. His modernism and fresh perspective on the world have drawn comparisons to Brancusi, also exhibited in Paris (by chance). This is my second visit to Le Bal, and as always, the exhibition is well-presented, solidifying this institution’s place on my list of must-visit venues for photography exhibitions in Paris.

“C’est beau, c’est grand, c’est généreux…. La France” said General de Gaulle in one of his speeches.

450 photographs, 200 photographers, a project spanning over three years, several state institutions involved: the Ministry of Culture, the Bibiothèque Nationale de France, a pharaonic budget to support the press profession. The result: “France under their eyes”, a massive exhibition at BnF François Mitterrand  showing France as it is: grand, beautiful, generous. But one may add, very diverse, rich of cultures, sad at times. The rich and the poor, the young and the elderly, the straight, the bi, the gay, the employed and unemployed, the ones living in small towns or in banlieues, in Bask land, Brittany or Burgundy, the French people look at you in their immense diversity and reconcile you with your own country by telling their stories, deeply moving, always intriguing and interesting. What a trip! The exhibition is organized under four logical themes: Liberty, Equality, Fraternity – our own motto -, but with a fourth one, reflecting on the future: Potentialities. Gazing through 450 photographs seems like a daunting task, but it is not the case. The stories are captivating, one after another. Time passes without feeling it: We share resting time with the monks of the Strasburg cathedral, work with Christelle in Charlieu, fish on a boat with Camille, feed the pigs with Manuel at his farm of Rosnoën. We come out of this experience with a smile on the face: “C’est beau, c’est grand, c’est généreux…. La France”. A message with a striking relevance today…

America is a difficult topic all together. The relationship is tumultuous. The feelings extreme: It can be love and at the same time, it can be hatred. America has produced the best and the worst. So how to go about “Portraits of America”? Is the plate full or empty, half-full or half-empty? Musée Maillol gives an answer to this arduous question with a large retrospective of the works of Andres Serrano. Not the simplest of photographers. Some of his pieces have been debated at length in the US Senate as being blasphemy, no less. The “artist with a camera”, as he calls himself, has relentlessly shown us what today’s America is when it comes to religion, sex, death, politics, poverty, violence. The result is provocative, disturbing and straight in your face. From a gallery of large portraits of first-nation Americans to the homeless, to the members of the Ku-Klux-Klan, to Donald Trump himself. We get the full plate! Some of the photographs cannot be shown here. Serrano pushed the envelope to the point where some of his work has been vandalized in previous exhibitions. But isn’t that the role of the artist? to hold a mirror in front of your face and help you think about what it returns? In any case, this exhibit cannot leave you indifferent and the steep contrast with the Maillol sculptures is another topic of discussion.

Stephen Shore is an American photographer who shows us the banality or the beauty of his country, as created by men and women, and seen from his car. Empty spaces, worn-down functional buildings, immense skies, wide highways, filling stations glowing at night, cross-roads in small towns. His series and books include Uncommon Places (1982) and American Surfaces (1999), with photographs that he took on cross-country road trips in the 1970s. The Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson gives a large retrospective of his work, both in black and white and color, from the early beginnings to the 2020’s and his “Topographies”, taken from a camera-equipped drone. The title of the exhibition says it all: “Vehicular & Vernacular”. Vehicular to reflect on his extensive use of vehicles in his work and his practice to shoot pictures from a car window and more generally from a mobile angle, creating thereby a new form of “vehicular photography”. Vernacular reflecting on the functional, at times mundane, aspect of the American landscapes created by people, rather than the spectacular we are more used to in Europe. With these, the photographer, through his oeuvre, brings us to the (new) shores of his Americanness right in the middle of the Marais in Paris. I was particularly attracted to his latest work, showing patterns from the skies that would otherwise remain unseen from the ground. In that respect, his work connects to the work by Edward Burtynsky, although the latter focuses more on the damages created by industrial landscapes on the environment, whereas Shore explores simply the shaping of the American landscapes by settlers.

At the edge between reality and dream, Dana Cojbuc’s work invites us into her fantasy world. Using her camera, she captures nature as it is—messy, chaotic, dark, intermingled and raw. She then expands these images with a charcoal pencil, creating an imagined world where trees have no beginning or end, gravity doesn’t exist, and the forest floats in emptiness. This unique fusion of photography and drawing results in a surreal experience that captivates the viewer. Her piece “Yggdrasil,” named after the great tree in Norwegian mythology that connects the heavens, earth, and underworld, is showcased at the small gallery “l’Angle” in Hendaye, France. During a residency in Norway, Dana connected deeply with the nature there, experiencing the sea, forest, and ominous skies. The residency offered her a unique opportunity to immerse herself in a landscape that is both rugged and mystical, filled with contrasts and dramatic beauty. The experience profoundly influenced her artistic vision. Photographing this reality wasn’t enough for her; she felt compelled to extend it into an infinite, imagined world that transcends the physical limitations of the environment she encountered. By blending these elements with her charcoal drawings, she created a seamless transition between the real and the imaginary, encouraging viewers to explore their perceptions of reality and illusion. The result is stunning, deep, and unsettling. Viewers find themselves torn between the photographic reality and the drawn fantasy, questioning where the boundary lies between the two. This tension is a deliberate aspect of Dana’s work. She seeks to challenge our understanding of what is real and what is imagined, blurring the lines until they become indistinguishable. Her use of charcoal in her work makes it rich in texture and emotion. Dana was present at the gallery to introduce her work and discuss her future plans, including adding color to her invented world. Her presence added a personal touch to the exhibition, allowing us visitors to gain deeper insights into her creative process and the inspirations behind her work. She explained how adding color could further transform her pieces, bringing a new dimension to her already dynamic creations. This next step in her artistic journey promises to open up even more avenues for exploration and innovation. As she continues to evolve and experiment, we look forward to witnessing the extraordinary worlds she will undoubtedly create.

“In Hindsight” is the title of an exhibition at Museum Hilvesum of the works by the Dutch photographer Rutger ten Broeke, at the occasion of his 80th birthday, showcasing a retrospective of his prolific career spanning over more than 60 years. For me, an occasion to discover this artist. The exhibit offers a unique opportunity to explore the evolution of ten Broeke’s artistic vision and technique, providing a window into his world of photography. One of the standout features of the exhibition is the way it is organized to reflect the different periods and themes that have characterized ten Broeke’s work – a journey through time and space of sorts. The early sections focus on his initial experiments with light and shadow, showcasing his talent for creating depth and dimension within the frame. These early works often depict landscapes and urban scenes, revealing ten Broeke’s keen eye for detail and his ability to transform ordinary settings into extraordinary compositions. Once moving through the exhibition, we come across ten Broeke’s powerful 10,000 portrait series. These portraits, people staring back at us, are a highlight of the exhibit, demonstrating his skill in capturing the essence of his subjects. Each portrait shows a sense of intimacy and immediacy between the photographer and the subject, allowing the viewer to connect with the individuals portrayed. I was pleased to meet Ed van der Elsken at an older age, staring at me with a wink in his eye, or Laszlo Moholy-Nagy leaning over me, with a grin on his face. Museum Hilversum, once more, surprises us by presenting yet another Dutch artist, known for sure by many, but until now, unknown to me.

Boris Mikhailov is one of the most influential photographers to emerge from Eastern Europe in the latter half of the 20th century. Born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, in 1938, Mikhailov has developed a body of work that is as much about personal expression as it is about documenting the socio-political landscape of the Soviet Union and its aftermath. His photography, often raw and determined, captures the complexities and contradictions of life under Soviet rule and the subsequent transition period. Fotomuseum Den Haag opens the Ukrainian Diary in a large retrospective covering his work from 1965 to 2019. Mikhailov’s early work, starting in the 1960s, was shaped by his background in engineering and his experiences living in the Soviet Union. During this period, he began experimenting with various photographic techniques, often using expired film and unconventional developing processes to achieve unique aesthetic effects. His most favoured topic was nudes, which was frowned upon and could lead to losing one’s job or even straight to jail. Mikhailov lost his job but continued to push boundaries by mocking the Soviet propaganda and coloring black-and-white pictures. He persisted in developing his own artistic language to document everyday life in his country, with stunning at times humorous, pictures of his fellow countrymen, enjoying the sun or a bath at the seaside. Boris Mikhailov’s photography is a profound exploration of the human condition under the pressures of historical and political change. His work, marked by its honesty, innovation, and emotional depth, provides an invaluable record of life in the Soviet Union and post-Soviet Eastern Europe.

Alongside his hymn to the yéyé years, Jean-Marie Périer, who settled in the region, has taken the time to document the people from here “les gens d’ici”.  The anonymous you meet everyday on the market, at the butcher or the baker. Those people that make the territory between Villefranche de Rouergue and Villeneuve genuinely unique. The people of Aveyron, most of which were born and raised here and who work to make a living in their village or town. The result is a lovely gallery of portraits from the none strangely associated to Jacques Dutronc, to Mr Condamines presenting his cheeses on his chest or Mr Gardelle rocking his baguette like a baby. The yéyés are far and the people from here more real and important than ever.

Between Villefranche de Rouergue and Figeac lies the beautiful village of Villeneuve, seat of a very special and unexpected maison de la photographie nested in the tourist office:  Jean-Marie Périer, a famous photographer of the yéyé period, later film maker, has settled there and created this museum for his photography, in a medieval building, on two stories in the heart of the village. This is a trip down memory lane, that of Salut les Copains, and all the stars of that period, fallen and forgotten or still active and famous, a piece of French history from the sixties onwards. International stars are not forgotten from the adolescent Rolling Stones and Beatles to Bob Dylan or Chuck Berry. Périer has known and photographed them all. We can enjoy the candid shots of Françoise Hardy, Sheila, both dressed as Bécassine, or Johnny Halliday, Eddy Mitchell, Dutronc, Berger and France Gall. All amazingly young, alive, happy and jumping, bursting of energy. A sweet and fun exhibition, reminiscent of that time of carelessness and confidence in the future. The time of the Yeah! Yeah! Of the yéyés.

The yearly event Art Rotterdam is always a good occasion to check out the latest trends in modern art and contemporary photography. Galleries from all over Europe gather in the iconic van Nelle factory and compete for the most outrageous or unique offerings. It goes from the ugliest (like this purple and pink styrofoam and polyurethane bas-relief titled « United Nations » by Folkert de Jong) to the strangest like this huge rabbit made of straw  by Erik van Lieshout (I wonder who can buy and display such a piece) to the brightest, the gloomiest, the most expected, the most conventional or, at times, the really special: I enjoyed the small sculptures of Ossip, mixing and assembling books, photography, wires, like the two sculptures inspired by Belle de Jour, the book written by Joseph Kessel. All in the eye of the beholder and the wallet of the potential buyer. Photography is not left behind with again the same range of displays and offerings. My selection is very subjective and I went to what caught my eye, ending up revisiting some familiar photographers, rather than stopping for the bright and shiny. Julie Cockburn, already seen at Unseen (if at all possible) continues to embroider old photographs, giving them a pleasant and colorful twist. Homayoun Sirizi employs the same technique planting coronations on older  Iranian revolution photographs, rooting them in the present, outside of the frame. Lisa Sartorio represented by Galerie Binôme revisits places destroyed by war, and reenacts the destruction with the palm of her hands, using a high quality soft Japanese paper, giving a vivid and present view, almost fairytale-like of the explosions. Her ambition is to continue with other places where war occurs – a never-ending task, I am afraid. Binôme presents also the interesting work by Laurence Aëgerter who revisits the magnificent skies painted by Ruisdael and attracts the astute eyes of the Dutch collectors as something yet familiar but new and different. I also enjoyed the paper cuttings of Thomas Manneke  giving to his photographs a third dimension, the familiar presence of Johan van der Keuken and the clair-obscure portrait by Harold Strak. These pieces, presented in the always impressive van Nelle factory, make for a pleasant afternoon.

My knowledge of the Dutch culture expands daily with new discoveries, This time, I came across Dutch poet Lucebert, an artist, dubbed as “poet of the COBRA movement”, determining in the art movement of the fifties and also famous for the following verse “All things of value are helpless”, mounted, irony, on the roof of an Insurer in Rotterdam in the 1970’s. What I did not know, is that Lucebert, as a complete artist, was also an astute photographer. In honour of his 100th birthday (he was born in 1924 and died in 1994), Fotomuseum Den Haag has organised an exhibit showcasing his talent, mainly exercised in the 50’s and 60’s. Poetic photography, nostalgic pictures of the circus, intuitive shots (he was autodidact) breaking away from the conventions of the time. Lucebert was more attempting to capture the unspeakable, the untouchable, the indescribable. Enough food for thought for a pleasant experience, browsing through beautiful vintage black and white photographs of people, situations and places.

When ordinary is extraordinary. For sure, Rob Hornstra’s characters are ordinary but at the same time far from ordinary. And yet, they are you and me, your neighbor, the shop keeper at the street corner, your cousin, as long as they carry a Kalashnikov and fight to survive in difficult circumstances or impossible climates in Russia, Iceland, Abkhazia or elsewhere. Fotomuseum Den Haag offers a large retrospective of his work around Europe. A gallery of portraits of ordinary hard working people with a plus: a past, a history, a background. The photographs are impeccable and strengthened by the stories that go with them. A child in a shelter, poor paysans in a remote village of Abkhazia, survivors of terrorism, nostalgic of the good old days of the nazis or communism, or simply butchers at their store staring at you with blood all over and a big knives in their hands. What sentiments about mankind? one reaction could be to want to escape as far as possible and let everything behind with a feeling of helplessness or one could be to want to read all these stories, reflect, and form compassion for your fellow human beings, wherever they are, whatever their backgrounds, their nationalities, they are humans, like you, with their history, fears, desires, limitations and beauty. In that sense, these ordinary people are extraordinary. Hornstra follows the work done by August Sander who relentlessly portrayed the German people in the early twentieth century, but the colours, the actuality of Hornstra’s photographs make it more vivid and straight in the face than the beautiful vintaged black and whites of Sander. The small sampling below shows only photos taken in Russia, but I could also have selected pictures taken in Iceland, The Netherlands, or elsewhere, and these would have provided the same sense of profound connection with humanity.

As often, I did not know the existence of Anton Corbijn before attending the large retrospective of his work at Cobra Museum in Amstelveen. An enigmatic title “Moød” welcomes the visitors: “Mood” with the second o scratched and an e added to form the word “Mode”, thus the title of this entry, Mode in Mood or Mood in Mode. These two words however represent well the work of Corbijn. Pictures full of atmosphere, giving a certain mood, and the constant link to fashion and mode. Whether it is Vanessa Paradis in Chanel or Adut Akech in Alexander McQueen and many more. Corbijn worked for Elle, Vogue and other famous glossy magazines. At the same time, he is not a pure fashion photographer. He also photographed many famous artists for NME (New Musical Express), the not less famous British musical magazine, at the spearhead of the latest musical trends. It is an enchantment to see and recognise Bryan Ferry, Iggy Pop (not too difficult as he rarely wears a top), Paul McCartney, Chrissie Hynde, Annie Lennox or Elton John. Another incredible display by the Cobra Museum, celebrating this year the 75th anniversary of the Cobra movement, but that’s an all other story.

Japan remains a fascinating place to me. Its landscapes, its people, its history and culture are sources of excitment, thrill, happiness, surprises. Sufficient motivations to visit the current exhibit in Musée Guimet “An ephemeral portrait of Japan” before it is too late. Photographer Pierre-Elie de Pibrac has been several times to Japan. His project Hakanai Sonzai took eight months of research and patient approach to people. The result gives a gloomy portrait of Japan. People look sad and lonely, lost in their thoughts, in their most intimate self, questioning their own existential presence, unreachable. Is that the Japanese spirit we see or is it that after the photo was shot, the characters turn to the photographer in a big smile and laughter? The exhibition continues with a differnt series Mono no Aware depicting well carved black and white lansdcapes and natures mortes. Unsettled and improbable buildings and places, emptiness, with a certain nostalgy of a brighter past. This exhibit allows the viewer to dig deeper under the varnish and get an insight of the Japanese soul. Musée Guimet is full of wonders and serves well the cultural presence of Asia in Paris.

“If you leave early in the morning, If you go on these roads, By bicycle, We were a bunch of good friends, There were Fernand and Firmin, There were Francis and Sébastian, And then Paulette”… It is with these words that the song by Pierre Barouh and Francis Lai, greatly interpreted by Yves Montand starts. In this case, they could have changed the name Paulette with Ruth. American photographer Ruth Orkin (1921-1985), internationally known for the photo titled “American Girl in Italy (1951)”, while still a teenager, undertook a bicycle ride – or rather a ride with her bicycle – across the United States from Los Angeles to the Atlantic, exploring on her way Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Washington and Boston. On this coming of age journey, she took more than 350 photographs of urban landscapes, people, self-portraits and carefully crafted compositions involving her bicycle. She became famous along the way, got interviewed by local newspapers, as after all, she was only 17 years old and it was 1939. After that, Ruth continued a career in photography, working for Life magazine among others, traveling to Israel and Italy. The Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson gives a large account of this journey and her later work, in an exhibit showing more than 40 pictures and associated documents, giving Ruth Orkin the place she deserves in the gotha of women photographers. Charming and fresh photographs, like her “American girl in Italy”, reminiscing of Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday.

Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder were singing Ebony and Ivory in 1982, a song, metaphor, aligning the black and white keys of a piano keyboard with the theme of racial harmony, between blacks and whites. 2024, the Bibliotheque Nationale presents, at its marvelous François Mitterrand site, “Black and White: an Aesthetic of Photography”, a very large exhibit, entirely based on its own collection, celebrating the black, the white and the millions of nuances of grey in between, so characteristic of photography, from its origins in the 19th century to today. Most heavyweights are represented, from Henri Cartier-Bresson to Daido Moriyama through Félix Nadar, Robert Frank, William Klein, Willy Ronis and many more (200 of them), representing 37 countries and all streams of photography. A real full-bodied symphony with all the richness of the strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion. By choice, the 300 photographs exhibited are not presented chronologically, but more by themes, with a mix of periods, from the 20th and 21st century. The viewer is thereby invited to focus more on the graphical contrasts and the play of light and shadows offered by black&white photography. whether it is with landscapes, portraits or details, we are exposed to the wide range of artistic creation throughout more than 100 years of photography. From the black and white imposed by the techniques available at the time to the conscious choice of representing the world in all the shades of grey between pure black and pure white. Not to forget, the first monochrom photographs presented, dating back to the late 19th century, were more blue or sepia than black& white. I was fascinated by the pictures of his children taken by Emile Zola and the portrait of a young Sarah Bernhardt by Félix Nadar. To finish the exhibit, a ribbon shows the richness of the shades of grey from lowkey to highkey, from almost black to almost white. Stunning to see those photographs side by side, ordered in that fashion.

There is little to be watched on TV in general and on Dutch TV in particular. There is however this program “het perfecte plaatje”, the perfect picture in which famous Dutch people compete in weekly challenges to deliver perfect pictures. Up to them to decide how to deal with the requirements. Once completed, their work is judged by a panel of photographers and some go through to the next week, some are eliminated. Reality TV is not my thing, but in this case, you follow the photographers in their struggles to find the right subject, angle, light, expression, to realize the shoot, select their pick and receive judgment, The full artistic process is thereby followed. It is interesting and entertaining. The winners of edition 2023 (Spring and Fall) are presented in Museum Hilversum. One only sees the result of the above process, not the process itself. What to think of it? In this case, I came to the conclusion that seeing the person developing from idea generation to realization was more interesting than seeing the actual results without explanations. In any case, an entertaining exhibition of good photographs, probably not all perfect as expected but surely the result of a labor of love by the artists.

The year was 1990. A century ago. Live on CNN on February 11th, an older man with grey hair wearing a grey suit was released from prison in Cape Town in front of the world. He was grave but smiling and waving at the cheering crowd assembled to meet him again, after 27 years in prison. His right fist closed and raised, defiant, with Winnie at his side smiling. Madiba. Nelson Mandela had disappeared from view and from photographs in 1964 after giving a speech at the conclusion of his trial, where he was convicted and received a life sentence. He was then a young man in his 40s, a former boxer with full cheeks, a beard and a mustache, his hair parted in an odd way. From 1990 until his death in 2013, a Nobel price, the end of Apartheid in South Africa, a presidency, world fame, a rugby world cup and many more events, he was under the scrutiny of photographers from around the world. A charismatic figure, a cheerful man despite all what he went through, a smiling human being, probably deeply good in his soul. Museum Hilversum presents an exhibit featuring Dutch photographer Ilvy Njiokiktjien and South African photographer Gideon Mendel, both “Remembering Mandela”. A good mix of photographs following Madiba throughout his political appearances post 1990 for Mendel, a large focus, in colors, on the free society created after the end of Apartheid for Njiokiktjien with series like “Pray for Mandela”, “last farewell” and her “Born Free, Mandela’s generation of Hope”. What to think of it? Yes, whites and blacks mix in today’s South Africa. They seem to live alongside each other rather than with each other. In most cases, the society is still divided, the rich and the poor, the privileged and the others, the ones with opportunities, those without. Illusions of a united society?

“There’s a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.” This quote by an obscure American pianist, composer, author, comedian and actor Oscar Levant could have been made by Yayoi Kusama. Now 94 and living already since the 1970s in a mental health facility, Kusama was breaking all the conventions at an early age. Her art is populated by her obsession for phalluses and her hallucinations showing dense fields of (polka) dots. She spent 5 years in The Netherlands between 1965 and 1970 and the Stedelijk Museum in Schiedam gives an account of this productive time for her. That was the time of the sexual liberation, of protests and of happenings. Her activities, happenings and mode shows, were often fixed on camera by friends like Harrie Verstappen, Theo van Houts or Cor Stutvoet, and the museum shows some of the photographs, together with the pieces of art she created during those events, sculptures, paintings, clothes and installations. Why Schiedam? The reason for the exhibition there specifically is the controversial performance that Kusama delivered in the chapel of the Stedelijk Museum in 1967, in which she painted the naked body of the well-known Dutch artist Jan Schoonhoven with dots. I have seen a much larger exhibit by Kusama in Singapore but this one, in the classical environment of the chapel built in 1787, gets a special spot because of the steep contrast with the work of Kusama and allows a further reflection on the concept of sanity-insanity.

Frederick Linck was likely right-brained, being a photographer, creative and artistic. He was also left-brained with his methodical capturing of the people around him, on the street or in their daily activities. He often found his subjects in his immediate surroundings. People he met inspired him to ‘communicate through the camera’. After his passing in 2020, his estate donated 150 of his photographs to the Hague Historical Museum. The result is an exhibit providing a unique portrait of that city in the 1970’s. The Hague in the 1970’s was very different from today. It was before the gentrification and the rise of modern buildings. The population was less diverse than today, living their lives in their neighbourhood, shopping on the market or in the traditional stores, butcher, grocer, Fruit & Vegetable vendor, working in the shops, drinking coffee or a beer at the local brown café. Looking at these pictures has a taste of nostalgia, of a world that was and that is no longer. Frederick Linck had the passion to document that world and to give us, fifty years on, an account of how it was back then. Although I don’t have specific connections with that city at that time, I still feel the value of the sharing for the future generations.

A large retrospective of Daido Moriyama constitutes, by itself, a very good reason to travel to London. The greatest living Japanese photographer, born in 1938, a veteran, has been very productive throughout his life, and a great inspiration to many. From the American occupation of Japan, through the 60’s and 70’s, Daido Moriyama is particularly famous for his dark, grainy, at times blurred, often random, photographs of Tokyo and other cities. His pictures have a rough, bold look with strong contrasts and grainy textures. Shadows in his pictures create mysterious and sometimes spooky feelings. He takes pictures of everyday people in everyday situations, stray dogs, city scenes, and quick moments of connection between people. Moriyama’s photos often have tilted angles and unexpected views that make them feel organic and alive, just like the busy pace of city life. His pictures don’t just show what things look like; they make you feel you are part of them. They make you think about the real and not-so-perfect parts of life, going beyond what is typically seen as beautiful or orderly. The Photographers’ Gallery gives us a large view of his oeuvre, on several levels of display, repeating ad infinitum some of his famous photographs on the walls (like his panty hoses) and superposing those with more orderly framed prints. I had already seen a large retrospective exhibit in Paris (as reported here) and preferred the former rather than the latter. Maybe having something to do with the way the work is presented. Nonetheless, a visit to London definitely worth the trip.

The Affordable Art Fair in Amsterdam is the yearly rendez-vous for art lovers of all sorts, from top notch connoisseurs ready to spend tons of money to enlightened amateurs looking for a good deal to just by-standers and young parents on an early morning leisurely stroll. The spectacle is as much on the picture rails as in the alleys of the location in Amsterdam-Noord. There is Art for all tastes to look at, admire, despise and possibly buy. I focused mainly on the photographs and found, like always, a few jewels. I particularly enjoyed the troubling portraits and body accumulations of Nanda Hagenaars (gallery Mick) and dwelled, as requested by the artist, upon the pictures of Joost Wensveen (Warnar and Warnar Art dealers) and not give in to the desire to simply swipe to the next. I finally spent some more times on the beautiful stand of “The Route Photography” Gallery, presenting remarkable photographers like Erdal Kinaci or Tahir Özgür that I decided to single out, among many more of high quality. I did not buy anything but could have easily indulged on many pieces, if I had extensive wall surface to cover with photographs. Or maybe it is soon time to invest in one of these remarkable Ionnyk digital art frame systems allowing a renewed bluffing experience of marvelous black and white photography.

By one of these enjoyable life happenchance’s, I stumbled upon a wonderful photo exhibition in the corridors of the Amsterdam Medisch Centrum, a place that could easily be overlooked when going about your medical appointment. This time around, it is an old employee who was given the opportunity to present his incredible work. Iskandar Kley was working in the High Care department when he participated in the Creative Employee program. His life changed when he encountered a 1946 photograph by W. Eugene Smith “The Walk to Paradise Garden” depicting his two children, Patrick and Juanita, getting out of the darkness of a shaded area into the light of a garden. This image left such a strong impression on him, that he was influenced in his own photography ever since he first purchased a camera in 1977. The result is stunning, strong contrasts of dark and light, Dantean architecture, people in the streets in Japan, The Netherlands, Turkey or Paris, to mention but a few parts of the world where he took pictures. Amsterdam Medisch Centrum acknowledged and recognized his talent by exhibiting his work, just before his departure as an employee, under the title “not everything is so black or white”, giving a hint to the viewer that not everything can be easily categorized as right or wrong, good or bad. There are often shades of gray and complexities in various situations, requiring a more nuanced understanding and consideration. The photos of Kley invite the reflection about these nuances.

Another large retrospective of yet another largely unknown (to me) Dutch photographer is presented at the Fotomuseum Rotterdam: “Ad van Denderen: On the Road” showcases the evolution of documentary photographer Ad van Denderen, on his way to better photography, personal evolution, etc. Over the last 55 years, he photographed Apartheid in South Africa, migration, and the never-ending geopolitical conflict between Israel and Palestine (just look at your news channel today), topics all very relevant today. Van Denderen studied at the Utrecht School for Graphic Arts and then traveled throughout Asia and the Middle East. In the years that followed, he photographed in places like Chechnya, Iran, Israel, the Palestinian Territories, South Africa, and Southern Europe. He also captured photos in the Netherlands, for instance in prisons at Kleine Gartmanplantsoen and Havenstraat in Amsterdam. The exhibition spans van Denderen 60 year-long career, showing his evolution as an artist. I was, as always, particularly attracted by his black-and-white photography of Gaza, Belgium, India, Egypt and Zaire.

Ara Güler’s early photographs are unique and yet familiar. A renowed Turkish-Armenian photojournalist and photographer. Born in 1928, in Istanbul, Turkey, and passing away in 2018, Güler left an indelible mark on the world of photography. His work primarily focused on documentary and street photography, capturing the essence of Istanbul and the soul of its people in a way that was both captivating and timeless. His black-and-white photographs, a Play of Light and Shadow, as the exhibit at FOAM Amsterdam is titled, remind me of the photographs of Brassaï, at the same period. With strong compositions and deep contrasts, Güler walks us through the streets of Istanbul and makes us meet its inhabitants. At times reaching abstraction, his silhouettes and compositions are haunting us. Throughout his career, Ara Güler was recognized with numerous awards, including the title of Master of Leica, and he was a member of Magnum Photos. His photographs have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, and it was time FOAM recognized him as such with a major retrospective.

Japan remains a fascinating place to us, occidentals. The closest we can get to it in The Netherlands is in Leiden, at the SieboldHuis. This institution regularly puts together high quality exhibits of Japanese art under all its shapes and themes. Photography is indeed one of them. This time around, under the title “Japan on a Glass Plate”, over 150 hand-coloured photographs offer a unique insight into late 19th-century Japan. The Kurokawa Collection is one of the most important and extensive private collections of Meiji photography in the world, and it is shown in Leiden. The pictures of photographers such as Kusakabe Kimbei, Baron Raimund von Stillfried, Adolfo Farsari, Tamamura Kozaburo, Ueno Hikoma and Shimooka Renjo are presented. Photographs were captured in black and white at that time, but painstakingly hand-painted thereafter, giving a stunning and vivid view of Japanese society. Some of the photographs exhibited were already admired at the Veuve Ambal exhibit in Beaune, as reported in this blog. Sumo fighters, tattooed gang members, Samurai, Geishas, Cherry blossoms, all these elements collectively represent different facets of Japanese culture, both past and present, and they all do indeed feature various colorful aspects. The use of vibrant colors on these pictures is adding to the richness and visual appeal of the culture, ensuring a feast for the eyes.

In the series of happy happenstances that life brings, I met Abed Abidat during Unseen. He was there to present the books his Marseille-based publishing company “Images Plurielles” has produced. Marseille is the captivating Mediterranean port which serves as the gateway to Northern Africa, with a rich history and a diverse culture and population. The books presented reflect that connection to the Mediterranean world like for instance the marvelous “Son Oeil dans la Main”, a fortunate collaboration between Raymond Depardon and Kamel Daoud exhibited at L’institut du Monde Arabe en 2022 and presented in this blog. Abed caught my attention with a splendid book “Algeroid”, result of a remarkable work. Abed spent several years in Algiers, taking pictures of people and locations with an instant polaroid camera. This approach allowed him to weave direct links with his subjects as he was able to hand over the polaroids directly. His work went however one step further: retaining the negatives, scanning them and inversing them with a software gave the remarkable pictures presented in the book: stunning views and portraits with a slightly outdated and nostalgic flair.

Unseen is the photography long-awaited annual rendez-vous in Amsterdam. A place where almost 70 galleries from all over the world gather and showcase artists from everywhere, every genre, making it a fair not to be missed. However, the challenge lies in the sheer volume and diversity of photography on display in the circular fair area. From the whimsical and ostentatious to the contemplative and classic, from the boundary-pushing (!) avant-garde to the soul-stirring and sensitive, from the brightest colours to the darkest black and white, Unseen offers a wide spectrum of photographic expressions. Consequently, visitors face the difficult task of making selections from this rich and broad tapestry of creativity. It is, of course, an inherently imperfect process, as by necessity, some exceptional artists will regrettably go unnoticed or unselected. Browsing through the galleries, from Paris to Istanbul, from Amsterdam to Cape Town, progressing in zigzag between the walls covered with photographs, I came across some remarkable artists, like Didier Engels and his accumulations of containers, largely unnoticed as an artistic object, or Jacob Aue Sobol of the prestigious Magnum agency, Jonas Bjerre Poulsen and his delicate compositions making me immediately think of Japan, Ali Bilge Akkaya and his uncertain architectural constructions extending beyond the limits of the photograph onto the frame, or Anna Lanza with her remarkable metaphysical landscapes. Unseen is a feast for the eyes and for the soul. I am looking forward to the 2024 edition.

The name Sebastião Salgado is synonymous with breathtaking photography and unwavering commitment to social and environmental causes. Born in Brazil, after pursuing a career in economics, obtaining a PhD and working for the International Coffee Organization in London, his path would take a dramatic turn when he picked up a camera for the first time during a trip to Africa in the early 1970s. This moment marked the genesis of his transformation from an economist to one of the world’s most celebrated photographers. Before Salgado became a world star with projects such as “Workers”, “Genesis” or others, After working for the French photo agency’s Sygma and Gamma, he joined Magnum Photo’s in 1979. He left Magnum in 1994 and formed his own agency, the Paris based Amazonas Images. All the picture stories that Salgado produced from the early 80’s to the 90’s was on negatives. The stories were printed in the dark rooms of his studio and the prints distributed to a select group of leading Photo Agencies worldwide such as the Amsterdam based ABC Press. Salgado’s photography was not just about capturing images; it was about storytelling. With a deep reverence for humanity and a desire to shed light on its most pressing issues, he travelled the globe, documenting the lives of marginalized communities, the plight of refugees, and the consequences of environmental degradation. It is this period of his long career that was displayed extensively on the walls of Haute Photographie 2023 in Amsterdam. Photos never seen before and profoundly human. Sebastião Salgado’s legacy extends far beyond his remarkable pictures; it is a testament to the power of compassion, storytelling, and the enduring impact that one person can have on the world. His work remains an enduring source of inspiration for me.

Haute Photographie has become a regular event in the world of photography, a unique international photography fair: once organized in Rotterdam and once in Amsterdam. The latest edition has taken place from September 20 to 24, 2023, in Amsterdam Noord, featuring an impressive lineup of over fifty (inter)national photographers. Roy Kahmann, the owner of Kahmann Gallery in Amsterdam, is the founder/curator of Haute Photographie and consequently, many artists represented by him are featured in this event. A few other galleries are present as well, together with independent photographers. Difficult to report here on so many artists, genres and styles. One spends some time there, browsing, negotiating steps in between a varied and colourful crowd in narrow corridors. An experience in itself. Photographs are generally of high quality, most artists are present and the focus is on selling. I particularly enjoyed the work of Ernst Yperlaan, and his haunted views of a completely empty Amsterdam, the portraits of Cooper Seykens, showing strong characters, the colourful Angola views of the French Laura Bonnefous, already noticed in a previous edition, or the monumental imaginary museum presented by Yani. I could have continued with many more artists and report on what I really did not like. Haute Photographie remains a high quality showcase of many talented artists, local or foreign. I am looking forward to the next edition, in Rotterdam, this coming winter.

Serendipity is one of the nice words of the English language. It is an unplanned fortunate discovery. This is exactly what happened while on a clothing spree at Saint-James. This small town in Normandy should be pronounced Saint-Jââââm and not Saint-Djèèèèmsssss. It is the hometown of the famous Saint-James brand of clothing. it is also a lively community putting together, once a year, an open air Photo Festival. The subject of this year “Rurality”. Eight photographers present their work throughout the village. Their names will remain unkown to most of us: Victorine Alisse, Elisabeth Blanchet, Jérôme Botte, Bruno Compagnon, Philippe Fauvel, Patrice Olivier, François Phliponeau and Hans Silvester, the most famous of them, former member of the Rapho photographic agency and now one of the last great independent photographers who present photogrpahs from his “Pastorale Africaine” book. By lack of time however, I only focused on the display of François Phliponeau’s photographs. Phliponeau is a member of ATD Fourth World, a NGO that works to overcome poverty by seeking out people living in the worst economic conditions and exclusion. As a writer and photographer, Phliponeau reports on people around the world struggling for survival. I particularly enjoyed his pictures taken in Madagascar.

Undoubtedly, Robert Doisneau stands as France’s most renowned and celebrated photographer. I stumbled across a large exhibit of his work in Caen this Summer titled “The crossing of a Century”. Although his photographs are well known and visible everywhere, a short visit is always a renewed pleasure. His body of work, spanning the streets of Paris, the empty banlieue, and various other locations, possesses an uncanny ability to elevate ordinary moments into captivating and profound scenes. Through his lens, Doisneau’s photos weave a narrative that transcends time, rendering the everyday life of his subjects intriguing and brimming with significance. When you gaze upon Doisneau’s images, you are transported into the heart of the scene. His photographs exude the essence of joy, exuberance, and sometimes even romance, forging an intimate connection between the viewer and the individuals portrayed. In the midst of his photos, you become a silent observer, sharing  the laughter, the tender moments, and the vivacity of life in his captured world. Doisneau’s profound influence on photography in general and on me in particular cannot be overstated. His pioneering approach to candidly photographing people in the streets, often without their awareness, gave rise to the genre we know as “street photography.” This approach democratized photography, allowing for the unfiltered and spontaneous documentation of urban life. In the present day, Doisneau’s photographs resonate with me with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia and longing. They serve as time machines, transporting us back to the post-World War II France – a bygone era I haven’t known, but certainly a France that does not exist anymore. Yet, Doisneau’s work endures as a source of inspiration to me and many more, a reminder of the beauty in the ordinary, and a timeless testament to the human spirit.

I discovered the photographs of Steef Zoetmulder at the occasion of an exhibition in the Rotterdam Kunsthal. After moving through the different levels and corners of the building, we finally found the small room dedicated to his work. Zoetmulder photographed a wide range of topics, not so much for the sake of the topic but more to explore ways to show things, patterns, leaning towards abstraction. As often the case, the first pieces are classical in nature, where as the most recent work is more abstract. The pictures diplayed in Rotterdam give thereby a good overview of his evolution as an artist. I was particularly attracted to his distorded colourful woman, very representative of his evolution. Steef Zoetmulder is possibly a lesser known Dutch photographer, but certainly worth a new discovery. This exhibition was made possible due to the collaboration between the Univeristy of Leiden and several associations, to revive the work of this important artist. Hundreds of vintage prints and contact sheets were exumed from oblivion to be saved and displayed.

To complete the survey of “Women at the front”, I cannot not mention the last three photographers presented: Susan Meiselas, Carolyn Cole, both still active, and Anja Niedringhaus who lost her life tragically at an Afghan checkpoint way too early and was robbed of many more photographs she will never make. All three are driven, dedicated, committed to report on what they saw, to share with the rest of the world human misery and suffering, the life and death of others. Whether it is Susan Meiselas in Nicaragua and El Salvador, Carolyn Cole in Iraq  and Liberia or Anja Niedringhaus in Afghanistan or Iraq, these three women demonstrated courage and determination in their art, using their skills to convey powerful stories. Their work also serves as a reminder of the risks photojournalists take to document important stories and the impact of visual storytelling on our understanding of the world. The exhibit “Women at the Front” at the Fotomuseum in The Hague is wider in scope than the same seen in Paris a year ago, covers the work of the same exceptional eight women and hopefully will serve as a trigger for other girls to follow their remarkable footsteps.

These are Catherine Leroy, Christine Spengler and Françoise Demulder. All three born just after WWII. All three left a name as photojournalists, all before their time, a the top of a profession, supposedly reserved for men (the others). Catherine Leroy is well known for her coverage of the Vietnam War. She began her career at a young age and gained recognition for her fearlessness and dedication. She, a tiny fragile young lady,  embedded herself with U.S. Marines, capturing the harsh realities of combat. Her iconic photograph of a wounded Marine being comforted during the Battle of Huế in 1968 remains one of the most powerful images of the Vietnam War. She continued to cover conflicts worldwide until her death in 2006, leaving behind a legacy of courage and exceptional storytelling through her lens but remarkably no book. Christine Spengler is well known for her work in war zones and conflict areas. Her career, spanning from the 1960s to the present, covers numerous conflicts and humanitarian crises. Spengler’s photographic style, characterised by unconventional techniques, creates hauntingly beautiful and evocative images amidst the chaos of war. She not only captured the violence and suffering of war but also the resilience and human spirit that endure even in the darkest times. Her work stands as a bridge between the brutality of war and the universal human experience. Françoise Demulder, who died in 2008,  focused on social issues and human rights. Her empathetic approach to storytelling allowed her to connect deeply with her subjects. Demulder’s work shed light on the refugees, the struggles of marginalised communities, and the impact of conflict on civilians. She made history in 1977 by becoming the first woman to receive the prestigious World Press Photo of the Year award for her photograph of a lady imploring a Christian Phalangist in La Quarantine in Beirut. This specific achievement but also the legacy of Catherine Leroy and Christine Spengler shattered gender barriers in the male-dominated field of photojournalism and highlighted their exceptional talents in capturing the horror of war.

Two remarkable women photographers who made history in the world of photojournalism, at the beginning of the 20th Century are featured among the “Women at the Front” presented at FotoMuseum Den Haag. The exhibit is the same that I visited one year ago in Paris and that I reported here, under the title “Exceptional Women”. The two women are Gerda Taro and Lee Miller. Although they came from very different backgrounds and covered different wars, both shared a strong love for photography and a determination to challenge the rules of their time. Gerda Taro was born as Gerta Pohorylle in Germany in 1910. When the Nazis started persecuting Jews in the 1930s, she had to escape to Paris. Her experiences as a Jewish refugee deeply affected her work. She started taking photos in Paris and later went to the front lines of the Spanish Civil War with Robert Capa. Lee Miller, born in the USA in 1907, began her career in front of a camera, as a fashion model in New York. She then went to Paris and became a student of Man Ray, where she learned photography. She later covered World War II. Both of these women, even though they started their careers working with men, made a name for themselves through their photography. Gerda Taro’s life was cut short in 1937 while she was taking photos during the Battle of Brunete. But her legacy lives on through her impactful photographs, which continue to inspire people who want to become photojournalists. Her work, which was often mixed up with Robert Capa’s, is now celebrated for its strong emotions and personal look at the Spanish Civil War. Lee Miller’s career continued after World War II in different directions, but her photos from the war are still what she is best known for. Her pictures, with a honest and clear style, have left a big mark in the world of photojournalism. In the end, both are proof that with a strong dedication to your passion, determination and talent, you can break any barrier, no matter where you come from or what challenges you face. They both made their mark as pioneers in a field that was mostly led by men and remain an inspiration to generations of young women. 

Robert Frank, a famous Swiss-American photographer who died in 2019, left an indelible mark on the world of photography with his groundbreaking work. His most renowned work, “The Americans,” which has a privileged position on my bookshelves, captured the essence of post-war America with a candid and unvarnished eye. Frank’s images challenged conventional norms of the time, offering a raw and authentic portrayal of American life, often tinged with a sense of alienation and introspection. His photography pushed the boundaries of documentary photography and had a profound influence on generations of photographers, including Henri Cartier-Bresson, reshaping the way we perceive the world through the lens. Robert Frank’s artistic vision and daring approach continue to inspire me and provoke thought today. The photographs on display at the MoMA are anterior to Frank’s work on “The Americans” and belong to a series titled “Black & White and Things”, assembled in 1952 (while “The Americans” was published in 1958). I don’t know how selected those photographs specifically in this particular way but wrote a statement to the effect that these were important to him, under a famous sentence from Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s “it is only with the heart that one can see rightly what is essential is invisible to the eye”. His message said, in a somewhat cryptic English “sombre people and black events, quiet people and peaceful places, and the things people have come in contact with this, I try to show in my photographs”. Seeing these few photographs from the original thirty four assembled by Frank is a delight for the eye, frankly speaking.

Continuing my exploration of the small scale exhibitions of the MoMA’s huge collection, I stumbled upon the “Ernest Cole’s House of Bondage” gallery, showing recently acquired photographs from his “House of Bondage” series, first published in 1967, and other material from various artists who took on the subject of apartheid in South Africa, in the footsteps of Cole. Ernest Cole was brave. He used his camera to show the world what life was really like for people who were treated unfairly because of their skin color. The pictures he took were not easy to take, but they told important stories about people who kept their dignity and strength even in very hard times. The exhibit did not just show Cole’s photos. The gallery pays homage to the legacy he left behind by also showing work from other artists who were inspired by him and shared their own stories about apartheid. Together, these artworks help us understand the past and how people stood up against injustice. In this special place, I felt like I was stepping into history and seeing how powerful art and photos can be. They remind us that even in very tough times, people can use their creativity to make a difference and help others understand what is happening in the world. This exhibit is a tribute to the strength of the human spirit in the face of difficult challenges.

Margaret Bourke-White embodied the intersection of modern times and technology. Her photographs not only documented the defining moments of her era but also harnessed the cutting-edge technology of her time to do so. In the midst of the Great Depression and the early years of World War II, Bourke-White’s camera lens captured the realities of industrialization and its human toll. She was one of the first photographers to use the 35mm Leica camera, which allowed her to work in challenging conditions and capture candid moments with unprecedented speed. Her photographs of the wind tunnel at Fort Peck Dam, and the Brazilian Clipper showcased her technical prowess. Margaret Bourke-White’s work not only exemplified the power of modern technology in visual storytelling but also highlighted the societal changes unfolding in her time. In yet another corner of MoMA, a small exhibition called “Modern Times” displays several of her works and others’ around a presentation of Charles Chaplin’s film of the same title. We can admire an acrobatic worker on the Empire State Building (Lewis Wickes Hine), the sheet metal workers placing rivets in an awkward position (Homer Page) and wonder about working in a world pre-OSHA. We can stare at the live-size Meccano construction straight out of a Jules Verne novel (Louis Lozowick) or stop on the strong composition of Anatoly Skurkhin’s showing a man brandishing the daily Pravda that describes the program of the party. MoMA’s large collections are displayed, on rotation, in the Collection gallery, providing a continuously renewed sense of wonder.

MoMa is a fantastic place for inspiration. Steichen, Stieglitz, Lartigue, Atget are names that resonate far in the world of photography. The American system is such, that rich people donate their collection to museums as part of their estate. The Abbott-Levy Collection is one of those, named after the photographer Berenice Abbott and the art dealer Julien Levy. As an example, while working in Paris as Man Ray’s studio assistant, Berenice Abbott met Atget, and at their final visit, just months before his death, she made one of the few known portraits of him. She collected his work and donated to the museum in 1968. The photographs presented in a small room of MoMA not only carry an historical significance, but also fill the viewer with awe and admiration. Whether it is Jacques-Henri Lartigue taking pictures of wealthy people strolling down Avenue des Acacias in Paris, or Jacob August Riis showing us the back alleys of New York, such as Mulberry Bend that epitomised, according to him, “the worst of the city’s slums, or Edward Steichen immortalising the iconic Flatiron building, or Stieglitz in the smoke of steam trains. The prints are impeccable, the compositions stunning and the cumulation of them, next to each other, an everlasting source of renewed inspiration.

The photographs in “The Archive of Becoming” by Karl Ohiri, presented as part of the New Photography 2023 exhibition at MoMA, are sourced from discarded film negatives of portrait studios in Lagos, Nigeria. These studios abandoned the negatives as they transitioned to digital photography or simply shut down and disappeared. This series is an extension of Karl Ohiri’s larger initiative, the Lagos Studio Archives, initiated by him in 2015. while Finish collaborator Riikka Kassinen joined the project in 2022. Through this initiative, they have in the meantime curated thousands of film negatives dating from the 1970s onwards, preserving a cultural legacy. Karl Ohiri is a London-born, British-Nigerian artist living in Finland. His drive is to explore the Human Condition. His work on “The Archive of Becoming” aims at spotlighting the contributions of unidentified commercial photographers. It showcases the personalities that the unnamed subjects projected while posing for the camera. The negatives featured in the series have suffered from deterioration due to neglect in the humid climate over many years. This decay erodes the stable self-representation that photographs typically offer. All in all, an insight into the lives and stories of these Lagos inhabitants we will never meet.

A letterpress type-case is a specialized storage compartment used in traditional letterpress printing. It is designed to hold individual metal or wood type characters, as well as other elements used in typesetting for letterpress printing. Kelani Abass inherited the printing business of his parents in Lagos, Nigeria and repurposes such type cases not for letters, but as vessels of remembrance. Through this adaptation, he explores the importance of material heritage and the archive as a bridge between past and present. The photographic image is the starting point of multi-layered work intertwines with the letterpress type-case, assuming the role of a vessel. The outcome is profoundly captivating. This type case metamorphoses into a tangible embodiment of memory, housing moments and historical occurrences within its compartments—readily accessible yet also nestled within, waiting to resurface. Kelani Abass masterfully unravels his personal history in layers, resulting in a multi-faceted representation of his past. As part of the New Photography 2023 exhibition at MoMA, we can explore our own memories while reflecting upon the pieces presented.

Akinbode Akinbiyi was born in 1946 in Oxford, England, to parents from Nigeria. He is a street photographer who takes slow walks through big cities like Bamako, Berlin, and Lagos, always with his Rolleiflex twin-lens reflex camera. He is someone who uses photography and poetry to tell stories about everyday life. He is not just interested in normal routines; he is more interested in the special quality of regular life, curious about how people live in their communities and spaces. He is mainly interested in the small things that happen in daily life, like politics, religion, and human nature. He wants to show what lies beneath the surface and what is meaningful in everyday life. He uses the streets as his studio, capturing the feelings of different places and people. He is also trying to grasp something important he remembers from his past, like the innocence and wonder he felt as a child in London and Lagos. This time, thanks to the MoMA and its New Photography 2023 exhibition, he invites us to go with him to the beach in Lagos, with his on-going series “Sea Never Dry”. Large square prints of 1m x 1m in gorgeous black and white cover the walls. The photographs were all taken at Bar Beach, on Victoria Island in Lagos, over several years. They shaw a couple watching a child on a horse, a group of boys, a lady looking at the sea or other passers-by.. These photographs hold a kind of innocence and childlike honesty and provide a certain degree of peace: a refreshing change amidst the bustling New York.

Nigerian photography stands as a dynamic and vibrant facet of the country’s rich cultural tapestry. It carries diverse narratives, reflecting the nation’s history, traditions, and contemporary realities. Rooted in a fusion of indigenous artistry and global influences, Nigerian photography has evolved into a powerful means of storytelling, social commentary, and artistic expression. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) pays a distinguished tribute to Nigerian photography, acknowledging its profound cultural significance and artistic merit. This recognition is personified by the display of the photographs of Logo Oluwamuyiwa, born in 1990, who invites us to a trip across Lagos and its diversity. As part of the New Photography 2023 exhibition, Logo wanders through Lagos, on a bike, a taxi, or on foot. His photographs are dark and powerful and give us a unique insight on life there, allowing us to develop new perceptions and encounters. “Hazy II” and “Intent to Fish” are two examples of a strong composition. “Hazy II” shows a person walking underneath a high motorway: a marginal? a left out? a tramp? we don’t know and are left with the questions. “Intent to Fish” shows a traditional fisherman, preparing his gear before going to work. We expect the next move to be a more traditional picture of a fisherman, throwing his net, in the hope of catching some fish. Lagos, like New York City, are world cities, full of mysteries, issues, constraints, but also full of life. Photographs from Lagos are refreshing and give us more than what we know about this major African city. People live, love, smile, cry, work there, like everywhere else. And it took a local person to show us that, and MoMA to feature this artist in the Big Apple.

Human interaction relies on an extraordinary skill we all share: deciphering faces. As we observe each other’s faces, unconscious cognitive processes orchestrate recognition and interpretation. This ability, a quintessential human trait, shapes understanding, connections, and social navigation. Our face recognition expertise rests on an innate ability to detect features. Eyes effortlessly navigate eyes, nose, mouth, and eyebrows, extracting nuances that define uniqueness. Yet, this intricate detection is just the beginning of a greater process, our ability to fit in, to understand, to blend in. At the same time, a human face is the window to the soul of the person. We, as humans, are all uniquely beautiful, independently of age, gender, origin. This is what documentary photographer Ruben Timman is showing us. He has dedicated his life and work to documenting the beauty and dignity of the humankind. He has portrayed more than 3,500 people in exactly the same way: straight from the front, with a black background, as pure as possible. He has also created the Museum of Humanity in Zaandam, north of Amsterdam. A museum dedicated to you and me, showing our differences but also our similarities, hoping to bring back a bit of comprehension amongst humans, one portrait at a time. The Museum of Humanity is a unique place, located in an old weapon factory, also witness of people hard working. It features portraits, great and small, of various origins and tells the stories of these people. It could be you, as well as me. The photos below are just a small example of these people staring back right at you.

The name may make you smile, at least if you are French and if you pronounce it the French way: Gruyaert, « gruyère ». Harry Gruyaert is Belgian, from Antwerp, a Magnum photographer, master in saturated colours. Le Bal, located two steps away from Place Clichy is a non-profit organization founded in 2010 by, among others, Raymond Depardon himself, is a location for exhibitions, reflection, etc, centered on the contemporary image in all its forms – photography, video, film and the new media. A perfect location for a last exhibition before departing. The place is wide, well lit and has been designed, for the purpose of this specific exhibit, to match Gruyaert’s photography : bright deep colours on the walls, matching well the colour tones of the pictures exhibited. The photograph describes his work as « an instinctive arrangement of forms, colours, symbols, light, and motifs » and that’s what we see displayed throughout. The subjects and locations are not important. Whether it is an empty beach tent in Ostende, soldiers marching In Waterloo, the window of a café on Antwerp or a street scene in India or Egypt, the photographs of Harry Gruyaert are aesthetically well thought through (more than the instinct a modest photographer may describe) and pleasing to the eye. Beautiful colours, sharp arrangements , perfect light on a late afternoon, the so-called golden hour. Cibachrome, a technology from the past century, most people probably don’t remember it, is, of course, also for something in those rich tones on the vintage prints displayed. A modern print would probably not yield the same quality. All in all, a very pleasing experience to stroll through Gruyaert’s world. In his own words, he talks about the « instantaneous miracle of the unexpected« , another version, in my view of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s moment décisif, but yet with a different sensibility all together.

Russian photographers, although less known than their Western counterparts, have left an indelible mark on the world of photography, showcasing their exceptional talent and unique artistic vision. Two prominent figures in this realm for me are Yevgeny Khaldei [1917-1997] and Antanas Sutkus [born in 1939], each contributing to the medium in distinctive ways. Yevgeny Khaldei’s (a Ukrainian by birth) work stands as a testament to the power of photography in shaping historical narratives and capturing pivotal moments in time. He is best known for his iconic photograph, “Raising the Hammer and Sickle over the Reichstag”, which has become one of the most celebrated images of World War II. Taken on May 2, 1945, during the Battle of Berlin, the photograph depicts a group of Soviet soldiers raising the Soviet flag on top of the Reichstag, symbolizing the triumph of the Red Army and the defeat of Nazi Germany. Beyond its significance, Khaldei’s photograph offers a glimpse into the world of photojournalism during wartime and the complexities of working under a regime that demanded propaganda and an absolute control over the narrative. As the chief photographer of the Soviet news agency TASS, Khaldei was required to capture images that documented events and that were used as propaganda means for the Soviet regime. “Raising the Hammer and Sickle over the Reichstag” was carefully staged by Khaldei to convey a sense of triumph and resilience. On the other end of the spectrum, Antanas Sutkus’s photography presents a different aspect of the medium. Sutkus, a Lithuanian photographer has managed to capture the essence of the human condition during the Soviet time. His images depict ordinary people in their everyday lives, reflecting the spirit of the time and providing a window into the soul of the Soviet and post-Soviet societies. Sutkus’s ability to establish a profound connection with his subjects enabled him to create images that evoke deep emotions and a sense of universality, making his work resonate with audiences beyond geographical and cultural boundaries. Sutkus represents a different era in the history of Russian photography, a time of transition and artistic liberation when photographers could explore a broader range of subjects and styles. The juxtaposition of Khaldei’s and Sutkus’s photography illustrates the diversity and complexity of Russian photographers’ contributions to the art form. Moreover, many more photographers have emerged since then, pushing the boundaries further and further, to fully bloom in the post-Soviet era to this day, emerging with new challenges, not yet resolved.

I came across the name Antanas Sutkus just recently and saw some of his work while in Paris, thanks to Liza Fetissova. He has become my coup de ❤️ of this trip. Despite my ignorance, he is a renowned (worldwide) Lithuanian photographer, now 84, who has often been regarded as a counterpart to Henri Cartier-Bresson. Both photographers are celebrated for their contributions to the world of photography, and their works share certain similarities while also showcasing unique individual styles and cultural influences. Like Cartier-Bresson, Sutkus is known for his mastery of capturing the “decisive moment” – that split-second when all the elements of a scene come together to create a compelling and meaningful image. Just like Cartier-Bresson, Sutkus has an exceptional ability to anticipate and seize that moment and to tell profound stories about the human condition. Whether it is a gesture, the subtle expression of a face, or a poignant interaction between subjects, like this little girl and her mother in the case of Sutkus, both photographers excel in recognizing and immortalizing these instants of pure poetry. Both have been committed to black and white throughout their career, playing with the different shades of grey to create timeless pictures. While Cartier-Bresson has travelled throughout the world and is well known for his candid street photography globally, Sutkus’s work centers on the people and landscapes of Lithuania and the surrounding Baltic area. This focus provides a unique cultural perspective and offers a valuable insight into the daily lives and experiences of the people living in this particular part of the world, especially vivid today. Sutkus’s photographs are intimate and authentic, talk about the resilience, joy, and struggles of ordinary people during the social and political turmoil of the Soviet and post-Soviet eras. As Antanas Sutkus and Henri Cartier-Bresson stand as counterparts in the world of photography, both leaving a lasting impact on the medium through their mastery of the decisive moment and their deep respect for the human condition, I wonder why the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson has not yet organised a dialogue between these two masters. Maybe time to ask that question?

In the world of photography, tenderness is a delicate and powerful emotion to capture. It involves capturing moments of warmth, vulnerability, and affection that evoke a sense of intimacy and connection between subjects. Photographs that convey tenderness often have the ability to stir deep emotions within viewers and create a lasting impact. Whether it’s a loving gaze between a mother and child, a tender touch between partners, or a gentle interaction with nature, tenderness in photography can take various forms. The essence of tenderness lies in the subtleties – the softness of a smile, the warmth of a hug, or the gentle caress of a hand. A skilled photographer can seize these fleeting moments and freeze them in time, allowing viewers to experience the emotions that were present in that very moment. Such images have the power to transcend cultural and linguistic barriers, touching the hearts of people from different backgrounds and experiences. This is what Liza Fetissova has achieved when putting together her exhibition under the title “Tenderness”. This exhibition is at her image: excentric, compassionate, caring, amazing, unexpected, sensitive, touching, a skilled observer, keenly attuned to the subtleties of human emotions and the natural world. Liza is bringing together, in Paris, the works of artists from varied backgrounds and through times, with a wide choice of photographic medium that can influence how tenderness is perceived. Black and white photography, with its timeless and classic appeal, can accentuate emotions and create a nostalgic or timeless quality in the image. On the other hand, color photography can amplify the emotional impact by using tones to evoke specific moods. From the works of Antanas Sutkus in the 60’s, the big discovery for me and subject of a future coup de coeur, to the works of Igor Savchenko and Igor Moukhin in the 90’s or of Sergei Maximishin and Evgeny Mokhorev in the early 2000’s to the more recent work of Danila Tkachenko and Igor Elukov in the last decennia. Liza offers a large tour d’horizon of talented artists, too long ignored or under represented.

I had the opportunity to attend a significant exhibition of Johan van der Keuken’s body of work in Rotterdam, hosted at the Photography Museum in November 2022, as reported here. Interestingly, a similar exhibition, under a different title “the Rhythm of Images”, which is currently being presented at Musée du Jeu de Paume, was jointly organized by the Rotterdam Photography Museum. The exhibition is a gold mine of over a hundred photographs and films carefully curated from collections in both The Netherlands and France. Many more than shown in Rotterdam in 2022. The prints, particularly to me, spark an engaging and thought-provoking exchange with the visitor. The photographs showcased in the exhibition span van der Keuken’s entire creative journey from 1955 to the early 2000’s, time of his death. As viewers explore the collection, they gain a profound understanding of the artist’s evolution over time, ultimately leading him to explore the realm of filmmaking in his later years. The exhibition provides an insightful look into van der Keuken’s lifelong exploration of movement and rhythm, expressed through photography and film. Inspired by the early times of cinema, his photographic works highlight power structures and deconstruct conventional patterns of visual language and narrative. Van der Keuken’s artistry is marked by keen observation and a passionate drive to capture unfiltered, spontaneous, and occasionally intense moments of reality. This evolution in his work is apparent in his experimental, fluid approach to editing, harmoniously blending with the rhythm of music and sound in his films. Through skillful juxtaposition of contrasting elements, he crafts a novel and inventive visual language that eloquently embodies his distinct artistic vision. I am however, and remain, particularly sensitive to his street photography in Paris, of course, in the years 1956-1958, inspired, to some extend by Henri Cartier-Bresson.

The name Frank Horvat, a highly esteemed and widely recognized photographer renowned for his exceptional fashion photographs, is likely to resonate with many. However, what may not be as commonly known is that Frank Horvat was born in Italy, and his family was compelled to flee due to the oppressive racial laws that specifically targeted Jews before the outbreak of the second world war. Following this, he wandered through various parts of Europe until eventually finding a home in Paris. Destiny brought him face to face with the influential Henri Cartier-Bresson, who graciously gave him invaluable advice, including investing in a Leica camera. This momentous encounter led Horvat to become a member of the prestigious Magnum photography agency. The Musée du Jeu de Paume is now presenting a large and unprecedented exhibition of Horvat’s body of work, an exhibition of colossal size, the first of that magnitude since his death in 2020. Remarkably, this exhibition focuses only on the first fifteen years of his career. “Paris, the world, fashion” are the themes woven throughout the exhibition, showcased through an astounding collection of no fewer than 175 prints and other evocative documents. Embarking on a journey through this exhibition is nothing short of a sensory delight, as Horvat’s photographs effortlessly radiate life, humor, emotion, and individuality. His lens beautifully captures a wide array of subjects, often embracing the unexpected and weaving tales of diverse lives and experiences. The sheer breadth of choices for this review is staggering, a testament to the diversity and richness of his photographic endeavors. One particular photograph that touched my heart depicts a man, either sleeping or dead, on the Howrah Bridge in the city of Calcutta, India. Another poignant image immortalizes a Belgian miner in the midst of changing attire after a hard day of labor, poignantly capturing the toil and resilience of the working class. Horvat also embarked on a compelling series of photographs taken in the streets of Paris with a telelens, offering a unique perspective of the city. For instance, an enigmatic shot portrays an anonymous lady amidst a crowd at Galeries Lafayette, her countenance evoking a sense of solemnity and depth as she seeks out her Christmas gifts alongside her fellow Parisians. Another spellbinding photograph portrays a pensive lady aboard a bus, seemingly adrift in a world of her own contemplations. The photograph of Gare Saint-Lazare in 1959 provides a great portrait of the bustling train station: a moment of sheer movement and dynamism during daily peak hour, contrasting with a solitary island of serenity where a couple shares a smile. It is a testament to Horvat’s ability to encapsulate diverse narratives within a single frame. Undoubtedly, Frank Horvat revolutionized the genre of fashion photography, imprinting his unique artistic vision into every shot. One particularly compelling example of his mastery is the captivating shot of Carol Lobravico and Iris Bianchi at Café de Flore, radiating an unparalleled allure and sophistication. Yet, it is the photograph of Coco Chanel, quietly hiding on a staircase, peering with modesty at her own show, that deeply resonated with my soul. Finally, a photograph taken in Venezuela in 1963, reveals an eerie similarity to the political leaders of the present time. In essence, Frank Horvat’s legacy is one of a visionary artist who harnessed the power of photography to tell compelling stories, unveil hidden beauty, and shed light on the intricacies of humanity. His photographs continue to inspire and evoke a range of emotions, leaving an indelible mark on the art and fashion photography, enriching the world with his singular vision and artistic brilliance.

I did not know of the existence of Julia Pirotte before being made aware of an exhibition at the Shoah Memorial. There is no more impressive place in Paris. The weight of history, the intangible presence of the 75,000 jews deported from France during the war, the solemnity and peace of the place make an impressive location for a photo exhibit. However, Julia Pirotte, as Polish jew, born Golda Perla Diament, has her place here. She was born in Poland, joined the Communist party, went to jail, escaped Poland to land in Belgium where she married Jean Pirotte, a worker and trade union leader. That’s where she met Suzanne Spaak that suggested she should take on photography. After successful studies, she began her career as a photojournalist, taking pictures of Polish miners and in the Baltic republics. When the Second World War broke out, she fled one more time, to Marseille, where she spent the rest of the war. First as a journalist, reporting on the poverty in Marseille, then on the resistant movement against the German occupation. She finally joined the resistance and smuggled weapons and leaflets for them. At the liberation of Marseille, in August 1944, she took back her camera and documented the fights. After the war, she continued, returning to Poland, to report on the reconstruction and noble causes.  She got recognised later, in the 80’s and started to be exhibited in various places. The Shoah Memorial shows more than 100 of her photographs, paying tribute to yet another woman, too long in the shadows of other (male) photographers.  

The main battle of Letizia Battaglia was against the Mafia in Sicily, where she was from. Born in 1935, she was one of the first female photo reporter of Italy. The Italian Cultural Institute in Paris, located in the beautiful Hôtel de Galliffet, 50 rue de Varenne, 5 minutes away from Musée Maillol, gives a large “Mostra” of Battaglia’s work, one year after her death, under the name “Cronaca, Vita, Amore” or “Chronicles, Life and Love”. I would have expected something about death as well, as Battaglia, in the Palermo the 1980’s, witnessed and documented many assassinations, executions, mainly related to the Mafia. Gruesome murders, in plain daylight, on a chair, in a car, in the street. She was there to document the crimes, to report, as witness. She was also very active to illustrate the lives of her contemporaries, poor and rich, workers, marginals, small children or old ladies. A somewhat dark environment but poignant pictures. Life and love in Sicily, the hard way. Chronicles for sure as Battaglia considered herself a militant. Photographer, reporter, publisher, active feminist militant, she leaves behind a large body of work that, like many times with women, has stayed in the shadow for too long. The Italian Cultural Institute made the right choice to open up its beautiful walls to render justice to this grande artiste. A great book was also published at this occasion.

Elliott Erwitt is one of a kind. Not only one of the most important photographers of the 20th century and member of Magnum Photos since 1954, two features he shares with Henri Cartier-Bresson, but also because of his breadth of themes and humoristic approach to capturing moments of everyday life. He was very European, very American, full of surprises, versatile, open to any topic (including dogs in the street), a total artist, making a feast for the eyes and for the soul, from mundane scenes in the streets or elsewhere. He was called a “painter of intimacy”, mixing irony, humour and a deep humanity. A quote, worth meditating for future work, summarizes his unique and humble approach: “You first get a sort of frame and then wait for somebody to fill in”. Musée Maillol pays tribute to his genius in a large exhibit spanning over a career of more than 70 years “Elliott Erwitt – A Retrospective”. The large exhibition of more than 200 black and white and color photographs is a pure delight. too many wonderful scenes to report here. I just selected a few, characteristic of his genius.

Now that the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson has two exhibition areas instead of one, it can offer its walls to events, such as the personal exhibition of Vasantha Yogananthan “Mystery Street”. The alliance between the Fondation, the Hermès Foundation and the International Center of Photography of New York allows to feature young artists, with a book published and a presentation of their work. “Mystery Street” explores the time between childhood and adolescence, in the city of New Orleans, deeply affected by the passage of hurricane Katrina in 2005. According to the intent, the children shown become a living metaphor of the city body. This remains a mystery to me. I could not feel particularly close or touched by the photographs exhibited and question, apart from doing their share of an alliance, the need to use that particular space for that specific exhibition. I would have preferred to see the works of other street photographers, in the foot prints of Henri Cartier-Bresson.

I was asked recently, “why is Henri Cartier-Bresson your favorite photographer”? I reflected upon that question for a second, and said: it’s his approach that I admire, the placement of the person, his view point, his discretion, being present without being visible, his humility, his sense of composition. He has been around for a long time, has been everywhere and has taken many pictures throughout his long life, but always with the same approach: placement, a sharp sense of observation, discretion and just taking a few shots: not 500, not 50, not even five just a few: one, two, three at the most of one subject, no more than that. So, when the fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson presents a new exhibit, it is an everlasting pleasure to come to Paris, visit it and enjoy his photographs. This time around, the fondation presents his photographs of the coronation of King George VI, on May 12th, 1937, at the occasion of the other coronation, that of King Charles III, with a most appropriate title “The Other Coronation”. Henri Cartier-Bresson was sent there by Ce Soir, a communist newspaper, to cover the event. Instead of focusing on the event itself, HCB decides to take photos of the people, those ordinary folks, present that day to follow their king. The result is stunning, portraits, often funny, grave, somber, joyful. People side by side, trying to get a glimpse of the event, or at times, just falling asleep and missing it all. The small scale exhibit is located in “The Tube”, the new space underneath the original exhibition space of the Fondation. For me, Henri Cartier-Bresson remains the King.

Mark’s visit was the right occasion for another visit of the World Press Photo exhibit 2023 before it was too late. Year after year, new generations of photographers tell stories about pain, sorrow, blood, disasters and sometimes hope. Musuk Nolte took pictures of workers, in full gear, dealing with the environmental disaster caused by an oil spill at a Repsol refinery. A young Simone Tramonte took happy bathers near a huge off-shore wind farm in Danemark, co-owned by thousands of electricity consumers. Mads Nilsen shows us a stunning contrast in Afghanistan: a very well lit bakery guarded by a standing man while women in full blue burka are sitting to the left, in the darkness of the night in Kabul. Anush Babjanyan was awarded a long term project award for documenting battered waters in Central Asia. The red colour looks unreal for healthy waters. Ahmad Halabisaz documents the fight of women in Iran, represented by a single young woman, fiercely sitting on a chair in front of a busy square in Tehran. Jonathan Fontaine went to Somalia to report on the lives of the refugees there. A single woman, Samira, facing a large number of small tents in the desert, epitomizes the Nomad’s final journey because of droughts and wars in the region. Chad Ajamian reported on the floods in Australia, using the technique of infra-red, giving more unreal pictures.

I saw the photographs of Cas Oorthuys on 20 October 2018 at a wide retrospective “dit is Cas” at the Nederlands Fotomuseum, and reported about it in this blog. This time around, the completely renewed Verzetsmuseum in Amsterdam is giving a small presentation of Cas’s work during WWII. Cas Oorthuys took hundreds of photographs during the German occupation of The Netherlands, to witness the reality of that occupation. He had to work within the limits imposed by the occupant, no strategic locations or topic. He also took the opportunity to take illegal photos at the same time to show the activities of the resistance movement. Photographing became forbidden in 1944 but Cas continued his work throughout the Hunger winter of 1944-1945. Some of his pictures of the time have become iconic since then, like the desperately hungry woman, staring in the vacuum and nibbling on a piece of bread. The exhibit shows, in the typical Oorthuys square format, picture from this period, but also from his trip to Germany in 1946 and Indonesia in 1947. Oorthuys has become one of the icons of Dutch photography and the Verzetsmuseum pays tribute to his life and his work.

It is at the occasion of a business trip that I took the opportunity to skip lunch and visit a large solo photo exhibition of Abe Frajndlich’s work, given at the Fotografie Forum Frankfurt (FFF). I did not know of the existence of either before that time. FFF is a large exhibition space located in the middle of town. It operates under the same principles as FOAM in Amsterdam, as an independent center for photography. Abe Frajndlich, apart from having a name difficult – if not impossible – to pronounce, is a well-established and well-known American photographer, known mainly for his portraits of celebrities with whom he rubbed shoulders throughout his professional life. He was born in Frankfurt just after the war and moved to the USA at age 10. His solo exhibit is large (more than 160 photographs) and eclectic, covering his entire career. Its title: Chameleon, to denote his “iridescent diversity”. Diversity is indeed the master word of this collection: from his black and white street photography in multiple countries, through his portraits of famous artists such as Leonard Cohen, Louise Bourgeois, Daido Moriyama, David Hockney or Jack Lemmon, his staged images of Gordon Parks or Louise Dahl-Wolfe and his pictures from his book Eros Eterna. I forgot to mention the marvelous collages. My favorite of all remain this enigmatic “Man Graffiti” and “Miami De Kooning”, both blurring the genre between photography and painting. Frajndlich is a chameleon for sure and this retrospective, in his home town, was a discovery and worth the 20€ taxi to get there.

Art is a delicate wisp, an ethereal essence that defies permanence. Its ephemeral nature is like a breath, a fragile existence that can vanish with the passing of time. Yet, photography has the power to capture those fleeting moments in a few milliseconds, freezing them in an everlasting frame. Through the lens, the transitory dance of light and shadow, the fleeting beauty of nature can be preserved. Photography serves as a visual testament to the evanescent, immortalizing shapes, stories and experiences that might otherwise fade into oblivion. It is the art of capturing the ephemeral, turning fleeting glimpses into eternal memories. This is the art of Nico Laan. His “Temporary Drawings” exhibition tells it all: carving the landscape for a moment and capturing it for eternity. Fotomuseum The Hague draws a parallel between his work and M.C. Escher’s drawings, likely because of the piece “Geometric Illusions”. To me however, his work is closer to that of Edward Burtynsky, even though the latter Canadian artist merely focuses on what industry leaves behind where as Laan acts as a sculptor who, with every stroke and chisel, reshapes the natural world, infusing it with his creative spirit, leaving on his photographs an indelible mark that blurs the boundaries between artifice and nature’s raw beauty.

Coastline, 2020 ©Nico Laan

Waterline, 2020 ©Nico Laan

Geometric Illusions, 2021 ©Nico Laan

Melancholy, with its inherent sense of longing and sadness, has long been a subject of artistic exploration. Through photography, melancholy can be evoked by capturing desolate landscapes, decaying urban environments, or introspective portraits that reflect a profound sense of solitude. The interplay of light and shadow, black and white, and subdued compositions contribute to creating an atmosphere of melancholy in the photographs.

Alienation, a feeling of disconnection or isolation from one’s surroundings, can be poignantly portrayed in photography. Images that depict urban anonymity, empty spaces devoid of human presence, or individuals lost amidst a crowd evoke a sense of detachment. Photography can reveal the estrangement experienced in modern society, highlighting the dissonance between the individual and their environment.

Vulnerability, the state of being exposed and open to emotional or physical harm, can be captured through intimate and candid moments. Photographs that capture unguarded expressions, tender gestures, or fragile subjects invite viewers to connect with the inherent vulnerability of the human condition. The rawness and authenticity portrayed in these images serve as a reminder of our shared fragility.

Throughout his collector’s life, Simon Ophof has been motivated by what he calls his three pillars: melancholy, alienation and the vulnerable person.  He has given his collection of photography, necessarily a subjective effort, to the Kunstmuseum Den Haag, shortly before his death in 2022. An exhibit “Speaking of Photography” gives a small glimpse of the large body of eight hundreds prints from famous and unknown photographers, allowing viewers to delve into the depths of these human emotions. Black and white photography possesses particularly a unique power that transcends the limitations of color. It allows the viewer to focus on the essence of the subject, unveiling a raw and profound narrative. The interplay of shadows and highlights creates a dramatic contrast, evoking emotions and emphasising texture and form. Black and white photography possesses a timeless quality, bridging the gap between the past and the present, and imbuing the image with a sense of nostalgia. It is a medium that embraces simplicity, yet carries a depth that can captivate and resonate with viewers on a profound level. No doubt Simon Ophof’s collection of Black and white pictures presented resonate the most in me.

Havana, Cuba, 1996 ©Hans Franz

Untitled, 2020 ©Thomas Manneke

Gottfried Brockmann (1903-1983), Germany, 1924 ©August Sander

Construction of Philips headquarters, Eindhoven, 1961 ©Aart Klein

Verolme Shipyard, Botlek, Rotterdam, 1962 ©Aart Klein

This is the third time that I visit an exhibition of photographs by Xu, Xiaoxiao. The first was in Breda, the second in Hilversum. This time, the photomuseum in The Hague presents a solo exhibition titled “Life along the Great Wall”.  With her keen eye for details and profound talent for storytelling, Xu, Xiaoxiao unveils a series of photographs that offer a unique glimpse into the lives of those who reside alongside one of the world’s most iconic structures. Xiaoxiao’s photographs capture the indomitable spirit of those living in its shadows, embodying the strength and unwavering determination that has sustained generations on the marshes of China. Xiaoxiao’s lens reveals a mosaic of vibrant cultures interwoven along the Great Wall. We witness a harmonious blend of traditional costumes and vibrant rituals with a touch of despair. These photographs serve as a powerful testament to the multicultural tapestry that has thrived alongside the ancient stones but give a sense of a nearby end, somehow, Through her exhibit “Life Along the Great Wall,” Xu, Xiaoxiao invites viewers to embark on a visual journey that transcends time and space. Her poignant photographs not only showcase the past magnificence of the Great Wall but also illuminate the human stories that unfold alongside this monumental structure. Xu, Xiaoxiao’s artistry captures the resilience, cultural diversity, and profound connections that breathe life into the ancient stones, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of those who encounter her remarkable work.

All photos ©Xu, Xiaoxiao

When mentioning the name Willem Frederik Hermans, any Dutch person will reply to you “The darkroom of Damocles”, his most famous literary work, taking place during WWII and just afterwards. A bit of existentialism, cynicism, a reflection of human condition dressed up like a thriller. What most people don’t know however is that Willem Frederik Hermans was also an avid photographer with his own darkroom. Taking as a pretext his 100th birth anniversary, Fotomuseum Den Haag presents his photographic work on a small scale with several vintage and new prints. The name of this exhibit, chosen by WFH himself, as indicated on a box he left behind “Quite Important Photos”. It is at the time of “The Darkroom of Damocles” publication in 1957 that WFH purchased a camera and started to learn about how to use it with his friend Nico Jesse. He spent some time taking pictures, first in his immediate surroundings around Groningen, then in Amsterdam and Paris. He left behind some 15,000 negatives  under which some interesting pictures of the cities, focusing a bit on the less glamorous details, buildings, posters. He also tried to take portraits but was always limited by his shyness. It is in his archives that WFH had a binder titled “quite important pictures” that was used as a title for the exhibit. Although far less developed than the oeuvre of other Dutch photographers active in the 1950’s and 1960’s, the pictures of Hermans serve as a witness of a world that is no more. For that reason alone, they are quite important indeed.

Johan van der Keuken was inspired by others. He mentioned studying Henri Cartier-Bresson throughout. Some of his friends were present in the large retrospective given by the Nederlands Fotomuseum, providing the viewer with an insight in his inspiration, allowing us to better understand his work. A pleasure to see works by Cartier-Bresson, Emmy Andriesse or Eddy Posthuma de Boer, alongside the large selection of van der Keuken’s photographs.

Johan van der Keuken (1938-2001) was a prolific photographer and film maker. After his passing, his heirs donated his archives of more than 20.000 negatives to the Nederlands Fotomuseum in 2019. Three years later, a large retrospective of his photography is presented in Rotterdam, under a quote of the author “The Art I love Most”. This is a remarkable collection of black and white photos, original or inspired by others, in various places, France, Africa, India, Italy. He shows the human in his day to day activities, taking various viewpoints, as he was always aware of that fact that there is not only one narration to any topic. He attempted to show the intangible behind the perceptible. This became clearer in the films he produced later in his career. A kitchen full of varied ingredients, colours and tastes make for an exceptional experience.

Aglaia Konrad is photographying architecture as an obsession: construction, deconstruction, reconstruction is at the centre of the series she presents at FOMU Antwerpen under the German title “Umbau”. A yellow-coloured wooden structure serves as the support for large photographs representing various parts of the Ghent’s Boekentoren recently renovated. Electric colours, negatives show us another refreshing vision of architecture. A well deserved breath of air after the visit to Congo…

Belgium and Congo have a long and difficult history. It started in the late 19th century when the King of Belgium, Leopold II, established his own (private) colony there: the Congo Free State, recognized internationally. Leopold ruthlessly exploited the large region and did not hesitate to terrorize the local populations with his private army until the international community started to get interested (late) and forced the personal rule to cease. Eventually, Congo became a Belgian colony in 1908. The brutal exploitation and arbitrary use of violence was reduced but at the same time, a certain level of continuity was established to the further exploitation of resources to the benefit of the dominary power. A colonial (white) power was well established and covered all parts of administration and justice. Belgium enforced an idealistic vision of Congo in the media, in photographs, in reports, depicting a sort of wonderland where local populations were growing happy, were educated, were provided healthcare and civilization, worked freely under the protection of the paternalistic good Europeans. An excellent example of this was given by Hergé, who otherwise enchanted my youth, in his album “Tintin in Congo”… The reality was rather different… social inequality and racial discrimination were the rule and the beautiful system collapsed after numerous hiccups and eventually led to the independence of Congo in 1960. The long and difficult history did not stop there and 60 years later, it continues to haunt the memories of the Belgians. The beautifully led out FotoMuseum of Anwerpen, FOMU, gives a large exhibition on the subject “Recaptioning Congo” in an attempt to highlight the contrasting perspectives from both African and European photographers. The photographs are disturbing, and shed light on the past and present relationships between Belgium and Congo. From the early 20th century judges and “white fathers”, to the tour of St Nicholas in 1933, to the visit of King Baudouin in 1960: a worthwhile trip through the 20th century, as seen with European and local Congolese eyes and a reflection of what civilization is and how it is portrayed by the winner.

As part of the Photo Marseille 2022, an open air exhibition is given on the place Villeneuve-Bargemon, just behind the town hall. A short professional stay is an occasion to step out and enjoy. Its title: “The Anonymous Project – A deux, c’est mieux”… it is better with two. A large selection of adorable vintages colour slides spanning over 70 years by amateur photographers, collected by filmmaker Lee Shulman show ordinary lives of two people, taken at a given moment in their activities. Complicity between them, sharing of a moment, a joy, a laughter, a somewhat embarassing situation, a gesture. This is in essence the best of ourselves. The photographs were assembled in a random box of vintage slides purchased by the filmmaker. This exhibition, placed in a public space, where people play and live or just pass by, gives those depicted on the slides a second life. Touching moment shared with them.

We are all imperfect and finite. The thing is: how do you come to terms with it? The sooner the better, as then, you can live the rest of your life free of this search. For most, it comes later in life as a revelation. Artists have sought perfection in their art, the lines, the palet of colours, the plastic of a body, a rendition of reality. Some are working their creation over and over again, until their view of perfection is achieved. Some have come to terms with imperfection, have accepted it to the point of beautifying it, on canvas, in objects or on photographs. The Japanese have theorized it with their concept of wabi-sabi. Japanmuseum SieboldHuis in Leiden gives a broad exhibition of the concept with more than one hundred pieces presented by Japanese and international artists using different media like photography and ceramics. A wonderful journey through transience and imperfection is offered to the discerning contemporary visitor always caught in his/her day-to-day activities between the speed and the “always more” of our society. A refreshing haven of peace.

The famous maison Veuve Ambal, specialized in Crémant de Bourgogne, opens its doors on a regular basis to small scale photo exhibitions organized together with the Nicéphore Niépce museum of Chalon-sur-Saône. What a delight to see vintage Japanese photographs of the 1860’s. After the opening of Japan to the western world in 1854, some European photographers went to Japan to open up studios like the Anglo-Italian Felice Beato or the Italian Adolfo Farsari. These delightful photographs show the traditional Japan: Geishas, sakura, craftmen, paysans and street views enchant our early 21st centuty eyes. Most of these photographs were posed, to accommodate the technology of the time. They are presented in the halls and corridors of maison Veuve Ambal. A sweet smell of wine in the making in the nostrils, we travel far away, to a different place and time, in a refreshing combination of genres.

I saw Susan Meiselas photos for the first time when I was offered her book “Nicaragua” by a dear friend, as being something that would interest me. This was a wonderful gift indeed and I revisit regularly the powerful pictures of the fight of the local population against the ruthless regime of Somoza that eventually lead to his fall and the rise of the Sandinista. No need to introduce Susan Meiselas. This Baltimore born American photographer has been associated with Magnum Photos since 1976. She started her activity close to home, with the strippers of New England, but quickly switched to a more ambitious project in Central America: she documented the insurrection in Nicaragua, in the 70’s, revisited the situation in the 90’s and the early 2000’s. She also spent time in El Salvador or Kurdistan. Her social engagement remained throughout her career, like one of her latest projects in England, covering women in shelters. A short stay in Berlin was the occasion to visit a retrospective of her 50-year long career at C/O Berlin. Under the title “Mediations”, which to me reflects on her approach to documentary photography she practices, more than 250 photographs are presented in this large exhibition covering her oeuvre, in black and white and vivid colors. Of course, the center piece is the so called “Molotov man” with an interesting and revealing behind the scene account of that photography and what happened to that man later. In any case, Susan Meiselas is not lazy Susan.

Contemplating Matthieu Ricard’s pictures is a Buddhist act in itself, like a moment of meditation. They provide calm, peace and a sentiment of wholeness. Matthieu Ricard, because of his position and his background, has a unique perspective on people and the planet. He probably fits in better than the average westerner in most places he visits. He is part of the landscape and can pretend to be invisible to the outside world, thereby snatching the most remarkable expressions from close by. Does he need a fixer? maybe not. His monk status gives him the aura and introduction most people won’t benefit when traveling overseas. The result? a collection of remarkable views on some of the most breathtaking places and people on the planet. His usual playground is high in the Himalayas, where no one goes. Over the years, he has assembled views of cultures and rites like no other. His eye is clearly generous and caring. His view on people loving and kind. One can clearly see how much he enjoys being there and witnessing these dances, events, large assemblies. The arch de la Défense gives him, in a peaceful place, high above the ground, remote from the rumors of the city, a large space to show his pictures, for our undivided attention and pleasure.

Salgado continues to present his monumental work to the French public, and the French public seems to like it. This time, the work turns into a master work. With Aqua Mater, mother water (but for me also “water matters”), he gives an overview of some of his work around the theme of water, from the Amazon to Iceland, the South pole and back. The setup is exceptional: A 1,000 square meter pavilion, inspired by the indigenous great malocas, made of Gadua bamboo, was built from scratch for the occasion on the overheated La Défense parvis, to host the exhibition. The result is an area of enchanted calm, freshness, dimmed light, bathed in water-inspired music. The lighting on the pictures is phenomenal and highlights each scenery displayed. Salgado benefits an extraordinary logistics. Often taken from heights, an airplane, a helicopter, a balloon, his photographs embrace a large area of space, often unreachable on foot for the normal person. He seems to rule over clouds to make them appear majestic and threatening. As a demiurge, he organizes people and animals, nature itself, to fit his desires. I must say the result is stunning. Despite critics that he is too commercial, too predictable, too well polished, too perfect, his photographs remain for me an enchantment for the eyes and the soul and one leaves this place rested and calm, with lasting impressions of the vistas revealed by Salgado.

Henri Cartier-Bresson experienced the landscape like no other: like a painter. From his position as a spectator, slowly getting filled with the general view at first, then discerning geometric lines and patterns, experiencing it, mentally drawing the lines, composing his tableau, carefully weighing in the patches of light and shadows, the different colours offered, transforming them into shades of grey with various intensities, and then at some moment giving the order to his finger to push the trigger, snapping the picture… HCB expressed his experience as follows “to photograph is to hold one’s breath when all our faculties converge to capture the fleeting reality; it is then that the capture of an image is a great physical and intellectual joy”. I feel the same physical and intellectual joy looking at his images, again and again. I am charmed by his compositions, modestly perfect, with the characters exactly where they should be, with some subtle humour at times, like this one-legged man in Hamburg, not perceived at once, or the customs officer of Bailleul, sweeping in front of his shelter, on a cold winter morning. The Fondation shows a series of images selected by Cartier-Bresson before his death, for an exhibition in Japan in 1999. Some are well know, some less. We also see when more than one shot was made of a particular situation and why a given image was selected. Throughout the years, the fondation is expanding. Expanding its approach to Henri Cartier-Bresson’s oeuvre (I would love to see his never shown before pictures one day!) but also its exhibition space with an additional 30% surface area. Something to rejoice in advance.

L’institut du Monde Arabe, a marvelous building in itself located on the shores of the Seine river, invites us to a travel back in time with Raymond Depardon, a well-known photographer and movie maker, a legend, and Kamel Daoud, a much younger Algerian writer. This travel through time and space brings us back to 1961 in Algiers and Oran, abundantly photographed by a young Depardon, and 2019, photographed by the same, 58 years later. Daoud, born 8 years after the independence of Algeria, wanders with him through time and history and provides his own comments, with his views of 2022. The result is a unique cooperation between two artists confronted with the same topic: a large body of black of white photographs showing everyday life in the  disturbed Algeria of 1961 and a more appeased Algeria of 2019, showing yet other signs of possible disturbances. Daoud summarizes this work eloquently: “Raymond Depardon photographs what he sees at the junction of what he does not see. I look at what I don’t see, thinking I know what it means. His eye in my hand. His body is my memory. What interests me in the photographer is his body, his wanderings, his journey: I slip into him, I fit his movements, his gaze, his culture, his prejudices perhaps, but also his singularity. Wandering from click to click”. No better way to say it.

Centre Georges Pompidou features a large exhibition on the art and culture of the Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity) in Germany in the 1920’s and around August Sander. It is a temendous overview presented in France of this artistic trend. Apart from painting and photography as the main art forms presented, the project also brings together architecture, design, film, theatre, literature and music. Although fascinated by some of the portraits painted by Georg Grosz (especially his “Porträt des Schriffstellers” showing an astonishing look alike to French political dwarf Eric Ciotti) and Otto Dix or Jeanne Mammen (with her “Zwei Frauen, tanzend” amazingly resembling the drawings by French contemporary comics artist Boucq), the purpose of this note is to report my fascination for the portraits of August Sander. It is my second encounter with Sander. This time, Centre Pompidou did not hesitate to provide a significantly large body of photographs from his master work “People of the 20th century”. Sander painstakingly photographed his contemporaries, before the chaos brought by the nazis (he did not know in 1920 what was going to happen in the 1930’s and 1940’s). He systematically ordered them in all branches of society, the artists, the farmers, the employees, the clerks, the workers, the clergymen, etc. It gives an insightful view of the German society in the early 20th century, with these people long gone, staring back at us. The body presented is so large that I can only extract a few I particularly enjoyed, like the boring looking engineer, the impressive pastry chef, the tormented painter, the smoking secretary or the amusing police officer. A last reflection when leaving this gallery of portraits…what happened to those people in the next two decades?

My day in Paris continued with an exhibition of the work of exceptional women, the very reason I went to Paris in the first place, to meet the “women, war photographers”, exhibit displayed at the museum of liberation of Paris, near place Denfert-Rochereau. I met well-known figures like Gerda Taro, Lee Miller, Christine Spengler, Françoise Demulder and Catherine Leroy but met also new ones like Susan Meiselas, Carolyn Cole and Anja Niedringhaus. The latter, a German, remains to be remembered as a rising star, until life was robbed from her at the early age of 48, at a checkpoint in Afghanistan. All in all, a trip through the gruesome wars from the 1930’s to today, as seen through the eyes of some remarkable women. Whether in black and white or colour, they show the story to tell. That of the absurd, of pain, fear, loss, blood, tears, chaos, death. A bit of hope maybe as well, when one stares at Vernon Wike, the corpsman in Anguish on Hill 881, or the surgeons operating on the battle field of Normandy in 1944. From the civil war in Spain to the recent events in Afghanistan, women have been there, taking all the risks, reporting, taking pictures, telling those stories and bringing them back for us to wonder, despair, or just gaze in awe. I already reported on Catherine Leroy and wondered why she was not recognised by a book. The catalog of this exhibit is a meager gesture to her legacy, but it is slowly getting there. One regret, the absence of Véronique de Viguerie from this exhibition: she would fit amongst those grandes dames.

Steve McCurry’s curries are made of a mix of good looking people, being at the right place at the right time with the right fixer, saturated colours, picturesque places. Despite the controversies about his removing disturbing elements from his pictures, or the abuse of “creating the moment and make it look purely spontaneous”, one cannot just not enjoy the experience. It is a ravishment for the eyes. The Musée Maillol, in the heart of Paris, gives a large view of McCurry’s work, old and recent. The link between Musée Maillol et McCurry in particular, the sculptures of Aristide Maillol and the pictures of the American photographer in general is not obvious. As a matter of fact, the second floor, fully devoted to Maillol’s work, was totally empty of visitors, despite its own beauty and interest. So, one asks whether the Musée was trying to attract visitors, just for the sake of cash generation? In any case, the displays, in darker rooms with perfect lighting, were stunning. McCurry’s portraits echoing each other, his landscapes inviting the visitor to just step in. I was a bit distressed by the proximity of the displays, not allowing an intimate interaction with the photos, because of the large crowd present, make that’s the price of success. McCurry’s kitchen is popular and the crowds are attracted to his curries recipes. Once upon a time, Steven McCurry was a photo journalist with Magnum. He covered the conflicts around d the world, spending much of his time in Afghanistan. The first room showed his black and white photographs of the late 1970’s. A couple of pictures of 1979 made a lasting impressions and stayed with me, long after the visit: This mujahid praying with his Kalashnikov rifle and the fierce looking boy with a wooden Kalashnikov. I was wondering: what happened to him in the last 43 years?

William Rutten has a very full address book. He knows everyone and eveyone knows him. His exhibition at the very active Museum Hilversum tells it all: he photographs Icons and his photographs are icons. From The Netherlands to the USA and across Europe and Asia, Rutten’s camera captures the essence of people. His approach is simple: a small corner of his house-studio has the best light: that will be the place where he will squeeze in the artist to take their portrait. Museum Hilversum provides a large overview of his oeuvre, spanning over 35 years. Rutten is rooted in our collective memory and his photographs provide not only a delight for the eyes but also a trip through our own history.

The annual rendez-vous of the WorldPress Photo is currently taking place in the Nieuwe Kerk of Amsterdam. Beyond the usual reporting on the sufferings of the world, I focused this year on some of the stories told by artists involved in long-term projects throughout all the continents. Lalo de Almeida, a photographer based in São Paulo, Brazil, tells us about the Amazonian dystopia, portraying the social, political and environmental realities of Brazil under the presidency of Bolsonaro. A gruesome view of the Amazonia, today, the lungs of the world. Charinthorn Rachurutchata, a photography-based visual artist based in Bangkok, Thailand, juxtaposes archival images of the 6 October 1976 massacre of students at Bangkok’s Thammasat University with photographs she took during the 2020-2022 Thai pro-democracy protests, in order to understand the root causes of the present-day protests, using the Japanese technique of kintsugi by tearing photographs, then mending them with lacquer and powdered gold: an elegant way to share her will to remember, the title of her work. Matthew Abbott, an Australian who once lived in West Arnhem Land and was accepted into a local community, follows the Indigenous Australians who have strategically burned land to protect their environment for tens of thousands of years.Guillaume Herbaut, member of Agence VU’ since 2021, is a French photographer based in Paris, France. He followed the events in Ukraine In November 2013, when tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Kyiv in the Ukraine to protest against the decision of pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych to pull out of signing an association agreement with the European Union. An Ukraine crisis calling another one. There were many more stories told, but these were, for me, representative of a new generation of artists driven by a strong desire to tell a story.