The La Gacilly Photo Festival is presenting, in collaboration with the Fonds Abbas Photos and Magnum Photos, a major retrospective of Abbas‘ work from June 1st to September 30th 2022 in Britanny. Abbas’ journalistic images will be displayed alongside lesser-known, more contemplative shots taken of people and their environments. Entitled Light and Shadow, it’s an exhibition of 50 black-and-white large format photographs featuring the incessant collisions between reality and myth, derision and fanaticism, chaos and beauty, gentleness and sadness, and shadow and light that defined his work.
In 2018, photography lost one of its greatest figures. Abbas was a man of few words but of 1001 images. Renowned for his in-depth coverage of the 1979 Iranian revolution, his eye refused to be confined to a single region of the world. Fascinated by Mexico and many other countries, he led a captivating and far-reaching photographic investigation for over 30 years (and until his death) into the major religions and the complex relationships that men have with their gods. Before joining Magnum in 1981, Abbas worked for Sipa and Gamma. In each of these agencies, he left his mark on his colleagues, who still see him as one of the greatest photographic talent of recent decades. More than just a lensman, Abbas was a master of light who perfectly combined journalistic rigour, visual excellence and deep-rooted, human moral integrity.
Abbas : Light and Shadow
From 1 June to 30 September 2022
The Prairie, La Gacilly, Britanny, France
www.festivalphoto-lagacilly.com
