Continuing is mission of platforming and promoting the medium of photography and the multifaceted challenges and boundaries of the medium, Paris Photo returns for its 26th edition November 9–12, 2023. Held at the Grand Palais Éphémère, Paris Photo will welcome 191 exhibitors—with 36% new galleries compared to 2022—from 25 countries, featuring more than 800 artists collectively. Situated at the intersection of nearly two centuries of historical photography and cutting edge, emerging practices, Paris Photo has established itself as a cornerstone of both discourse around and innovation in the medium.
Roope Rainisto, Auto Dream No. 3 (2023). Courtesy of Louise Alexander Gallery.
Speaking of the forthcoming edition, Paris Photo Artistic Director Anna Planas said in an interview, “This year the show’s program offers even more diversity in photography practices. Digital art has been present in Paris Photo for several years, but we are seeing use of technical tools accelerating and the emergence of a new artistic scene that is increasingly productive. It was important to identify it and create a sector dedicated to photography in the digital age, curated by a specialist.
Passing through eras, with a hard core of historic galleries, Paris Photo offers a very broad spectrum of the history of the medium and leaves plenty of room for discovery. Thanks to the works shown by the galleries, there is a multitude of paths to follow: visitors can focus on the great names in photography, from Man Ray to Grete Stern, Diane Arbus to Nan Goldin, and discover unknown series, such as Tom Wilkins’ impressive polaroid archive (Christian Berst), or see or rediscover corpus such as Melissa Schuck’s work (Miyako Yoshinaga and Galerie La Patinoire Royale | Valerie Bach).”
Man Ray, Woman with long hair (1930, printed ca. 1960). Courtesy of Bruce Silverstein Gallery.
Alongside the returning fair sections and programming, Paris Photo will launch a new Digital Sector, devoted to photograph of the digital age. Curated by digital art specialist Nina Roehrs, the sector will be comprised of nine contemporary art galleries and platforms who are leaders in the field, and showcase artists that employ the elements of contemporary digital technology into their work.
Aleksandra Art, Self Portrait (2023). Courtesy of The Collection.
Roehrs said of the Digital Sector, “The presentations explore and critically reflect the relationship between contemporary culture, digitalization, and art in a range of media—A.I., algorithms, applications, AR, blockchain and NFTs, games et. Al—and practices—coding, collages, photography, sculpture, et. al.
Digitalization is steadily increasing, but is not in itself a new phenomenon, rather it has developed over many decades on the basis of technological progress. And so, art and artists have also been dealing with the content related and material issues for several decades. In this sense, early positions of generative photography can be seen as well as works from the current AI context.”
RaMell Ross, iHome (2012). Courtesy of Pace.
The forthcoming edition will also see the unveiling of the 5th annual Elles x Paris Photo collaboration, which will feature a selection of artists who center their own lived experience in their work. The approach aims to highlight the simultaneous individuality and universality of art and identity. The anniversary edition will be marked by the release of a publication that brings together the work of 130 contemporary photographers, advancing the visibility of women artists and bringing their personal practices and motivations to light.
And for both in-person attendees and those who cannot make the fair, Paris Photo will again be accessible online through their comprehensive online viewing rooms, where in-person exhibitors as well as a collection of exclusively online exhibitors can be found.
Paris Photo will run November 8–12, with VIP Access November 7, at the Grand Palais Éphémère.