The CENTQUATRE-PARIS welcomes the three-month long Circulation(s) festival, an eagerly awaited event for the young photographers of Europe. The exhibition program includes a seminar, photo studios, a book fair, portfolio reviews… and, off the walls, in the Parisian metro and the Gare de l’Est… on this occasion, The Eye of Photography offers 20 invitations*.
Each week, and throughout the duration of the festival, L’Oeil de la Photographie will publish an interview written by Sophie Bernard with an exhibited photographer from Circulation(s). Today, Here is the interview with Marion Hislen, founder of the Fetart association and of the festival.
What are the key aspects of this 6th edition of Circulation(s) which is being held at the CENTQUATRE for the third time?
Fifty-one artists were brought together and ended up naturally having a major focus on Spain. Starting because our sponser, agnès b., chose to present the school collective Blank Paper. The guest artists-in-residence, Borja Larrondo and Diego Snachez, are also Spanish. The two worked on La Cité des 4000 in La Courneuve to draw a parallel with a neighborhood situated on the outskirts of Madrid. Ultimately, this 2016 edition gives a rather rich overview of contemporary Spanish photography.
Circulation(s) 2016 is a program established by a call for applications from young photographers who are, after preselection, chosen by a jury. How many artists were selected in this way?
About twenty. The preselection was, unintentionally, more restrictive than the previous years. Out of about 1,000 applicants, Fetart kept roughly sixty applications, while, normally, we preselect about 150 of them.
What trends stand out in this 2016 edition?
We’re departing farther and farther from the purely esthetic and anecdotal photo. I’m seeing that those of the younger generation, who call themselves artists, are increasingly treating social issues with a less frontal vision than photojournalists. They observe and analyze but are not, however, activists. That said, it’s difficult for me to judge before the festival is hung.
Is the graphic for the poster chosen this year representative of the photography that you advocate?
It’s a UFO in all the senses of the word! We had made the choice before anything else because the image calls out to you. That’s the primary function of a poster… And it should be said that the attacks of November 13th had just happened when we were deciding… We wanted and needed to laugh. In any case, this image is characteristic of our particularity, which is to put forward subjects a bit “girly” and light. I believe in this kind of project, and I will continue to expose them because our role as a festival is to address a great number of subjects… Moreover, this genre of work is not devoid of substance: In his own way, Brice Krummenacker and his series “The Ordinary Life of Robert the Alien” reflect on today’s world where everyone creates doubles or avatars for themselves to express themselves over social media… It’s a real social issue.
Circulation(s), does it have anticipated events like last year’s Little Circulations…
In fact, we’re continuing this part of the exhibition at a child’s level associated with a booklet of games. We’re launching games (memory games) with images of photographers participating in Circulation(s). We’re also continuing Jeeps (Journées européennes des écoles de photographie) with a new perspective: the presence of foreign portfolio reviewers thanks to partnerships with embassies and institutes. Another new event is a book fair involving independent photo editors distributed by Pollen. It’s gathering in association with the recently created Photobook Social Club, and a seminar over three days with noted speakers like Xavier Canonne, François Cheval, and even Arno Gisinger…
* To enter send your mailing address [email protected], the first 20 readers will win an invitation.
FESTIVAL
Festival Circulation(s) – Young European Photography
From March 26 mars to June 26, 2016
CENTQUATRE
5 rue Curial
75019 Paris
France
Closed on Monday
Catalogue
Editions 2016, 22 euros
