© Rinko Kawauchi
Untitled, from the series of UTATANE, 2001
Courtesy of the artist and FOIL GALLERY, Tokyo
Paris Photo 2008
Japan Guest of Honour
November 13 - 16, 2008
At the Carrousel du Louvre
Paris Photo 2008: an exceptional panorama of Japanese photography
From November 12th to 16th 2008, Paris Photo will bring together at the Carrousel du Louvre, 107 exhibitors from 19 countries. With 78% of participants from abroad and 37 newcomers, the selection for 2008 has favoured a greater focus on personal exhibitions and thematic projects, presenting the best photographic expressions from the earliest time to the present day. But one of the important aspects of this 12th edition is the invitation of Japan as country of honour: with the work by more than 130 artists on show, Paris Photo will offer an exceptional overview of a unique site of practice, from the Meiji era to the most contemporary production. To date, no exhibition in Europe has broadly brought together such a number of Japan's modern, contemporary and emerging photographers.
"Spotlight on Japan" is curated by Mariko Takeuchi, independent curator and photography critic.
The 5th edition of the BMW - Paris Photo Prize
Launched in 2004 in support of contemporary photography, the BMW -Paris Photo Prize celebrates its fifth anniversary. Awarded by a prestigious jury, the prize has become an international reference in recognition of the work of a contemporary artist on a theme related to the world of BMW. The work of 20 artists short listed for the prize is exhibited during Paris Photo. The winner will be awarded the 12,000 euro prize on Thursday, November 13.
Theme for 2008: Never Stand Still
Jury : Marta Gili, director, Jeu de Paume, Vicki Goldberg, art critic and photography author, Stephen Shore, photographer, Anne Wilkes Tucker, photography curator, Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Michael Wilson, collector, Nicolas Wertans, Chairman of BMW Group France and Eric de Riedmatten, director of communication, BMW France.
Short-listed artists : Jeff Brouws (Robert Klein Gallery), Andrew Bush (Rose Gallery), Clark & Pougnaud (Galerie Baudoin Lebon),Gerardo Custance(Polaris), J.H. Engström (VU' la Galerie), Martine Fougeron (Esther Woerdehoff Galerie), Nobuhiro Fukui (Tomio Koyama Gallery), Jim Goldberg (Magnum Gallery), Dionisio Gonzalez (Max Estrella), Miyako Ishiuchi (Zeit-Foto Salon, Tokyo), Syoin Kajii (Foil Gallery), Atta Kim (Keumsan Gallery), Ken Kitano (MEM Gallery), Janne Lehtinen (Taik Gallery), Yao Lu (798 Photo Gallery), Akira Mitamura (The Third Gallery Aya), Keisuke Shirota (Base Gallery), Yuki Tawada, (Taro Nasu), Nao Tsuda (Hiromi Yoshii), Ofer Wolberger (Michael Hoppen Gallery)
Paris, the international epicentre of art photography in November
The 12th Paris Photo edition coincides with the "Photo Month" whose theme is "European Photography: between tradition and change". VIPs and collectors invited at Paris Photo in the framework of "Close-Up" VIP programme will get privileged access to what's happening in photography in Paris, including among others the "Lee Miller" exhibition at Jeu de Paume, "The School of Dusseldorf" at the Mam Ville de Paris, "Henri Cartier Bresson and Walker Evans" at the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation, "Sabine Weiss" at the Maison Européenne de la photographie, or "Tokyo Stories" at Artcurial.
Here is a sneak preview of a few of my favourite images from this year´s Paris Photo:
© Asako Narahashi - Kawagushiko, 2003 - From the series Half awake and half asleep in the waterCourtesy Galerie Priska Pasquer
Roland Fischer, Liudan, 2007 © Courtesy Max Estrella, Madrid
Sarah Moon, L’avant dernière, 2007 © Courtesy Camera Obscura, Paris
Joon Kim, Bird Land Swarovski, 2008 © Courtesy Keumsan Gallery, Séoul
Scarlett Hooft Graafland, Orange Igloo, 2007 © Scarlett Hooft Graafland courtesy Michael Hoppen Contemporary
