Mohamed BOUROUISSA, Périphériques

I usually keep a bias towards cautiousness when considering the work of “hot new artists”. A few years, a real buzz surrounded Mohamed Bourouissa, a young photographer born in Algeria and living in France. He received the Voies Off prize at Rencontres d’Arles, and among other things, exhibited some of his “Périphériques” images in the “Younger than Jesus” New Museum show. What a start for an artist who just graduated from Paris’ Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Decoratifs.
What is it about ? Briefly described, staged snapshots of street scenes in Paris suburbs, striking and beautiful at the same time. The influences are numerous, including of course Jeff Wall. At first impression, I was afraid of being manipulated: struck by no more than clichés of violent suburb areas.

Some time has passed by, and I would now more relate the Periphériques series to Paul Graham’s American night, which is a compliment in my mind. The work is more political than it may first appear to be. Bourouissa is voluntarily playing with social clichés of violence and minorities. People would have probably been waiting for a Nan Goldin type of photographer, with guts and instant snapshots. On the contrary, Bourouissa takes his time, precisely detailing his stages, and borrows his visual compositions from (now) traditional painters, such as Caravagio.
This political stance is even more obvious in his more recent work “Temps mort”, exhibited at Kamel Mennour Gallery. Bourouissa asked jailed acquaintances to take pictures in prison, here again following a precise mandate. Behind the prints, hidden to the view, the artist has inscribed SMS texts, his only link with his characters.

Images courtesy the artist & Mennour Gallery

Paul Graham: why the art world simply does not get photography

A friend of mine (thanks Yannick !) recently forwarded me a link towards Paul Graham website. In a presentation during the MOMA photography forum, the British artist expressed an interesting point of view on why photography “for and of itself” (as opposed to photography deployed as an artistic strategy by more conceptual artists) is often overlooked by contemporary art curators and dealers.

From Paul Graham’s words: “The broader art world has no problems with the work of Jeff Wall, or Cindy Sherman or James Casebere or Thomas Demand partly because the creative process in the work is clear and plain to see, and it can be easily articulated and understood what the artist did: Thomas Demand constructs his elaborate sculptural creations over many weeks before photographing them; Cindy Sherman develops, acts and performs in her self-portraits. In each case the handiwork of the artist is readily apparent: something was synthesized, staged, constructed or performed. The dealer can explain this to the client, the curator to the public, the art writer to their readers, etc. The problem is that whilst you can discuss what Jeff Wall did in an elaborately staged street tableaux, how do you explain what Garry Winogrand did on a real New York street when he ‘just’ took the picture ?”.

10 Books of the decade

Let's start this blog with a dangerous endeavor. An impossible one. Which books, published between 2000 and 2010, will eventually pass the test of time ? Not the best ones (on which criteria ?), but the most influential ones. Here is a list, of course subjective :

Paul Graham, Shimmer of Possibility
The 12 books set, published by SteidlMACK, will probably appear as a seminal work. Paul Graham here introduces a new form of photography, a narrative one, inspired by Chekhov short stories.

Luc Delahaye, History

Published by Chris Boot, this edition was limited to 100 copies. Good thing for collectors, but the work itself deserves a wider audience. Those who have seen the exhibition at Paris Maison Rouge were struck by Delahaye's ambiguous aesthetics. Is this documentary, is this art, can we do both without betraying the reality ?

David Goldblatt, Particulars
Goldblatt is widely known for his South African landscapes images. Particulars is a more muted work, truly universal. What is more, the book is exquisitely printed.

Wim Delvoye Sexrays

Artist's books had a difficult decade, especially when compared to the 70's. Initially designed to be a gallery catalogue, Sexrays stands out as a wonderful book object, bold and luxurious.

Bettina Rheims, Book of olga

Book lovers will probably underestimate this Taschen book. But Rheims' Olga, focusing only on a Russian billionaire's wife, with total freedom, will in the end be considered as the perfect symbol of a pre-crisis, bygone era.

Terry Richardson Kibosh

Here is a forecast: Kibosh will be a cult book. Richardson himself says that the book is the achievement of a lifetime. There are many other Richardson books (the Hysteric one, and Manimal, inspired by Abu Ghraib), but Kibosh is a "concentré" of his style.

Rinko Kawauchi, Aila

Kawauchi's work is sometimes viewed as too sentimental, simple, lyrical. This is exactly why Aila is a great book. Here the photographer focuses on simple things, all linked to a certain form of life. Looking at some images' association proves that the work is much more complex than previously thought.

Mitch Epstein, Family Business

This books is not a photobook. It is a novel, a deep, moving one. Epstein chronicles the bankruptcy of his father's business. The american flag hung against on a wall tells it all...

Juergen Teller, Marc Jacobs Advertising

This book is an awkward object. Too heavy, with a fragile binding. But it clearly shows how Juergen Teller has managed to create a visual style that will associated to the early 2000 years.

Ryan McGinley, Moonmilk
Hype people often love Ryan McGinley's work. Snob people hate it. In the end, Moonmilk is much more than a hype work. McGinley's fantasy world can be melancholic and, in every sense of the term, deep.