Jeff WALL, The Crooked Path

Until Sep 11, the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels hosts a promising exhibition, the Crooked Path, which mixes 25 photographs by Jeff Wall with other artists’ works, from Atget to more contemporary names such as Thomas Ruff or Mark Lewis. The show has been co-conceived by Jeff Wall, hence giving a fine view at the artist’s inspiration and references.

For those who can’t make it to Brussels, and even for those who can, I recommend viewing the one hour long conference given by Jeff Wall, who made a kind of “guided tour” of the exhibition (http://www.bozar.be/webpage_broadcastitem.php?broadc_id=1354). Wall speaks, in brilliant terms, of photography issues, such as the importance of scale, the role of artifice, or the distinction between documentary and literary approaches. On a more personal note, he comes back to his career beginnings as a minimal and conceptual artist (for the anecdote, Jeff Wall work was included in Lucy Lippard 557087 exhibition in 1969, almost ten years before his first light box image…). Among other references, Wall gives credits to other artists’ work, one fine example being Jean-Marc Bustamante Tableaux series, created as early as the end of the 70’s, all unique (as paintings “tableaux”, standing on their own), an underestimated gem in photography history.