Since its debut in 1997, Paris Photo has come a long way and is now one of the most important photo fairs in the world. The 20th edition of this highly-acclaimed and hugely popular photo fair opened today at the Grand Palais. The fair, that runs from November 10 to 13, 2016, is staggering in its sheer scope with 153 art galleries and 30 book publishers exhibiting photography in all its diverse forms. The exhibited works range from historic and contemporary masterpieces to photojournalism, documentaries, conceptual art, installations and abstract works.

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PRISMES

Besides works by some of the finest photographers of all time, Paris Photo also focuses on upcoming, new and diverse visual perspectives from across the world. The PRISMES section, on view in the Salon d’Honneur of the Grand Palais, is particularly interesting and features fourteen photographic projects, particularly large-format photographs, photo series, installations and specially commissioned works.

The section features works by well known photographers, Anthony Hernandez (Waiting, Sitting, Fishing and Some Automobiles), Bettina Rheims (Inmates), Caio Reisewitz (Panambira), Edward Butynsky (Essential Elements) to name a few. The highlights of the section, however, include Antanas Sutkus’ In Memoriam series dedicated to the Holocaust survivors of the Kaunas and Vilnus Jewish ghettos in Lithuania, Issei Suda’s Fushikaden series in its entirety, Noémie Goudal’s installations Stella Nova and Les Mécaniques, and Zofia Kulik’s All the missiles are one missile.

THE PENCIL OF CULTURE

The Pencil of Culture is another exciting highlight of this year’s Paris Photo. Borrowing its name from William Henry Fox Talbot’s The Pencil of Culture, the first photographically illustrated book to be commercially published, the section features a curated selection of one hundred photographs from Centre Pompidou’s photography collection, including some by Richard Avedon, Valérie Belin, Brassaï, Andreas Gursky, Germaine Krull, Sherrie Levine, René Magritte, Marc Riboud, August Sander, Allan Sekula, Alina Szapocznikow, Maurice Tabard, Wolfgang Tillmans, Etienne Léopold Trouvelot, Raoul Ubac and Jeff Wall.

CONVERSATIONS

Paris Photo’s experimental forum Platform will feature discussions, talks and presentations over four days. The event will explore five questions centered around photography as a medium, its history and future, and its impact on other art media: ‘How to collect photography today?’, ‘Discussing Provoke’ (based on Japanese cult photography magazine Provoke), ‘Photography beyond Representation’, ‘Photography & Cinema in Practice’ and ‘The Artist As…’.

The Platform talks are open to all Paris Photo ticket holders (seating on a first-come-first-serve basis). Simultaneous translations will be available in English and French.

PHOTOBOOKS AT PARIS PHOTO

Launched in 2012 by Aperture Foundation and Paris Photo, the PhotoBook Awards recognise the significant role played by photo books in evolving a photographic narrative. This year’s edition of the Photobook Awards will recognise winners in three categories: ‘First PhotoBook’, ‘PhotoBook of the Year’ and ‘Photography Catalogue of the Year’. The winners will be announced on November 11, 2016 from amongst thirty five shortlisted photobooks. All the shortlisted photobooks are on view in the Photobook section and will subsequently travel to other international venues.

BOOK SIGNINGS AND OTHER EVENTS

More than a hundred artists will be available for book signings during Paris Photo (between November 10 and 13, 2016). This could be a great opportunity to have your own copy signed by your personal hero. The complete schedule is available here.

At the Rotonde de la Reine, visitors can view POEME, an ambitious interactive digital installation that enables visitors to browse through more than 200,000 images from the collections of Musée Nicéphore Niépce. The Eyes Magazine will also present The Artist Talks at the same space, a series of short exchange sessions where the guest artists will share their photographic projects with the public. The schedule (subject to changes) can be found here.

Although overwhelming and jam-packed at first glance, Paris Photo is a wonderful opportunity to discover photographs that go beyond mere representation and reproduction. It is a space to experience innovative visual languages, fresh perspectives and alternative voices that challenge perceptions and open up a world otherwise not known to most of us. We hope to see you at the Paris Photo.

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At Grand Palais Paris Photo 2016 The 20th edition of Paris Photo runs from November 10 to 13 at the Grand Palais with an exciting offering of photographs under one roof. Grand Palais 3 Avenue du Général Eisenhower, 75008

75008 Paris More information