The Louvre, Galleria degli Uffizi, National Museum of Natural History, Musee d’Orsay, and Centre Pompidou – these renowned museums gathered more than 20 million visitors in 2022. Many of us have witnessed art exhibits that have left a lasting impression. So, what exactly makes an exhibition memorable? Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation’s annual award seeks to explore this question by shortlisting artists who are disrupting the field. The 2023 edition of this award, currently showcased at The Photographers’ Gallery, London, highlights four exhibitions that have made a significant impact on photography in the past year.
Bieke Depoorter: A Chance Encounter
C/O Berlin (30 April – 7 September 2022)
How should the interaction between a photographer and their subject be? Through her two notable work series, Michael and Agata, showcased at C/O Berlin, Bieke Depoorter addresses this question. Both series originated from unexpected encounters with strangers. In Michael, Depoorter investigates the life and the loss of a man she stumbled upon on the streets of Portland, Oregon in 2015. Conversely, Agata starts with an initial encounter in a Parisian strip club in 2017. This endeavor challenges the boundaries of an artistic friendship, raising questions about performance, limits, and ownership. In both series, Depoorter explores the artist’s role, the concept of ‘truth’ in representation, and the fine line separating personal and professional relationships.
Frida Orupabo: I have seen a million pictures of my face and still I have no idea
Fotomuseum Winterthur (26 February – 29 May 2022)
Frida Orupabo’s art, which comprises of sculptural collages and digital creations, delves into topics of race, sexuality, and identity. She uses visual materials available online – such as colonial-era photos, ethnographic artifacts, and contemporary images – to ‘rearrange and remake’ the existing archives. The final pieces are handcrafted images depicting fragmented, predominantly female, Black figures. These characters are layered one on top of the other, challenging the singular depictions of Black lives. Her cut-outs offer multiple interpretations of the depicted individuals’ stories and lives, a majority of whom are completely missing from the records. Orupabo encourages viewers to think about how photography plays an influential role in establishing and maintaining colonial power dynamics and violence.
Samuel Fosso: Samuel Fosso
Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris (10 November 2021 – 13 March 2022)
Samuel Fosso has devoted his artistic career to self-portraits and performative photography since the mid-1970s. His career spanning close to half a century, including iconic series, lesser-seen works, archival materials, and never-before-seen images, were exhibited at his retrospective. Fosso, who was raised in Nigeria, escaped from the Biafran War as a young boy and was later taken in by an uncle in Bangui, Central African Republic. In 1975, when he was only 13, he established his Studio Photo Nationale. Fosso simultaneously started a series of self-portraits along with his commercial work – a form of representation he has never distanced himself from. In these pieces, he embodies crucial historical figures and societal stereotypes in front of the camera.
Arthur Jafa: Live Evil
Luma, Arles (14 April – 30 November)
Live Evil represents the most extensive and detailed exhibition of Arthur Jafa’s work till date. Based in Arles, Jafa, an artist and filmmaker, presented a vast collection of films and still images in room-sized installations. Since the 80s, Jafa has been compiling and curating images from various sources like books, magazines, and arranging them in innovative patterns. He frequently uses YouTube, news footage, and homemade videos. Jafa avoids a linear narrative by positioning culturally significant artefacts next to each other and organizes the material based on associations, visual resemblances, or themes. He aspires to create art that encapsulates the “power, beauty, and alienation of black music.”
thephotographersgallery.org.uk | Open till 11 June 2023
Image Credits:
1. Samuel Fosso, from the series 70s Lifestyle, 1975-78, Copyright Samuel Fosso, Courtesy of the artist and Jean Marc Patras, Paris
2. Frida Orupabo, Turning, 2021, Copyright Frida Orupabo, Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Nordenhake, Berlin, Stockholm, Mexico City
3. Samuel Fosso, Autoportrait, from the series 70s Lifestyle, 1976, Copyright Samuel Fosso. Courtesy of the artist and JM Patras, Paris
4. Arthur Jafa, Monster, 1988, Copyright Arthur Jafa, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery
