In Paris, from April 20th to May 1st 2017, fotofever has strengthened its programme START TO COLLECT with a new vent: the “Paris fotofever trail”. The anticipated fair will offer a selection of exhibitions devoted to young photographic creation and guided visits and facilitated access to the photographs on display and exchanges with the gallery owners and the artists. The “Paris fotofever trail” is part of the Mois de la Photo OFF. Cécile Schall, founder of fotofever details the main direction of this new outing.
What does “Paris fotofever trail” consist of?
It’s a trail through about thirty Parisian galleries that are showing exhibitions devoted to young photographic creations. On this trail, several highlights have been organised with our gallery partners: an inaugural evening on Thursday 20th April during which we’ll set up guided tours by neighbourhood; these guided visits will also go on during the two week-ends with discovery trails for 7-12 year olds and their parents.
This new event is being held at the same time as the Mois de la Photo du Grand Paris, it’s a great opportunity for encounters with our galleries, their artists and our community of collectors and connoisseurs. It’s also the occasion to encourage the broader public cross the thresholds of the galleries and to pursue our mission of initiating them into collecting. The public will be able to discover new artists, many works at less than five thousand euros whose price will always be displayed, and benefit from the advice of the gallery owners.
In your opinion what are the needs of today’s young collectors and what difficulties face them?
Today you often read in the press that the records or prices for the sale of works of arts are reaching new heights and this gives the impression that the art market is elitist and inaccessible.
I think the opposite, that collecting is an accessible dream and that photography is ideally suited for starting a collection. It’s a medium greatly appreciated by the younger generation and is financially affordable. But to encourage a new public, it’s important to share a few basic rules.
What’s your advice for a good approach to the matter of collecting?
Above all, I advise all young collectors to share and have an exchange with gallery owners. They’re the best placed to talk about their artists. The gallery owners are the key actors in starting a collection, sources who can tell the history and background of the work. They are also the intermediaries between the artists and the collectors, and it is they who discover emerging talents for us.
What do you think of today’s photography market?
The photography market is many-sided. fotofever positions itself in the contemporary photography segment, and more particularly, that of living artists, represented by a gallery, and whose works are sold in fewer than thirty copies.This market is dynamic but remains a niche. One of the brakes is the multiple print, because what gives a work its value is its rarity. It’s also a source of confusion between a work of art and an unlimited edition or a work of more than thirty copies, offered by the new distribution channels.
Fotofever
From 20th April to 1st May 2017
Multiple places in Paris, France
http://www.fotofever.com/
