Paris Photo returns with a focus on the experimental, objects and vintage

A ‘photography masterclass’ on board Eurostar with British photographers Mark Neville, Dougie Wallace, George Selley and William Lakin set the tone for this year’s Paris Photo fair. The former presented their new books (Fancy Pictures surveys Neville’s social documentaries from the past 12 years; in Well Heeled, Wallace captures pampered pooches in fashion capitals) while Selley and Larkin appeared in the Carte Blanche platform for emerging talent. Their images were on billboards in the Gare du Nord, as well as in the fair itself at the Grand Palais.

Here, 151 galleries from 29 countries showcased photography from the 19th century to today. ‘This year was strong,’ says German photographer Elger Esser, whose images from his 15-year project to create ‘an atlas of hidden France’ were on show at Paris gallery RX. ‘There’s more focus on the experimental, using objects, and the vintage,’ he adds.   

To coincide with the launch of a special edition book of his photos, fashion designer and ‘guest of honour’ Karl Lagerfeld selected around 100 of his favourite works. Those wanting to share his passions could follow an unofficial ‘trail’ which ranged from landscapes by young self taught Teheran photographer Ebrahim Norooz at Silk Road Gallery to abstract architectural images by the late Spanish modernist Marcel Giro at RocioSantaCruz Gallery.    
    
Nine film and video works made their debut this year at Paris Photo including a video piece by artist Vanessa Beecroft, while for the third year, the Prisms section was dedicated to large-format works. Among them, British photographer Nadav Kandar presented atmospheric additions to his Thames Estuary project.

Nude portraits of children by Ellen Brooks at Fraenkel Gallery and Sally Mann at Stephen Daiter appeared, in these days of ubiquitous internet porn, both dated and shocking, but not as disturbing as images of Palestinians by Miki Kratsman. The Israeli photographer used a lens from a first generation drone to create grainy, black and white shots that instantly render their (innocent) subjects suspicious. It echoes the surveillance techniques used by the Israel Defense Forces, and is, says Kratsman, ‘a project about perception’.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Paris Photo website