Julia Gragnon is exhibiting Paolo Pellegrin‘s Chaos Calme at her Galerie de l’Instant. She sent us these images and her text.
I discovered Paolo Pellegrin’s work thanks to the Rencontres d’Arles in 2008. It was my first time there, and his exhibition “As I Was Dying” was in the last building of the Ateliers SNCF. What a shock to discover his images, their power, the beauty of his prints, the depth of his blacks… I, who thought I was impervious to reportage photography, was given a first shock, opening my mind and putting me back in my place.
A few months later, I was at the Visa pour l’Image Photojournalism Festival in Perpignan. Crossing paths with him alone in an alleyway, I decided not to think about it and jumped on him, declaring my admiration, as well as my desire to present his work to the uneducated, who, like me, knew him little or not at all. Imagine my surprise when almost immediately, without knowing me, he agreed to entrust me with some prints for my first group exhibition devoted to reportage photography, even going so far as to give me the contact details of some friends, including the wonderful and unforgettable Stanley Greene.
His ease of access, his kindness, while he was already a strong player in this field, something I was unaware of at the time, is indicative of a unique personality. I quickly discovered thereafter, the extent of his talent and his many other qualities, since I am now lucky enough to count him among my friends. These encounters, which are part of the job of gallery owner, are for me the main attraction of my profession.
Discovering the work of such an artist, being able to meet him, exhibit him, share this love with the public, and access his intimacy is priceless, and worth many sacrifices. Spending the night in the middle of his archives as I was able to do to prepare this exhibition is an almost childish joy. Like a child in a toy store, I spent the night with my nose in the vintage prints, the books of his collection, his past and future projects, I savored with all my soul this trust and the happiness of abandoning myself to a work so important to me. Because if Paolo is first recognized as a photojournalist, I have always felt that this definition was too reductive for him: he is an Artist, an immense photographer; whether he is reporting on a conflict at the end of the world, confined in the Swiss mountains with his family, alone in the streets of New York, or on more abstract subjects as evidenced by his recent work on the fragility of the world.
His curiosity, his openness to his surroundings, and above all, his empathy make him a unique artist, and I feel truly fortunate to be able to present these beautiful, powerful images while he is exhibited in the world’s greatest museums. Despite his numerous awards and his well-deserved success, he has remained astonishingly simple, his vision powerfully acute, and his freedom unique.
Julia Gragnon
Paolo Pellegrin : Chaos Calme
from March 27 to June 18, 2025
La Galerie de l’Instant
46, Rue De Poitou
Paris 75003
+33144549409
www.lagaleriedelinstant.com
