From June 29 through September 25, the magazine de l’air takes over the walls of the Maison Européenne de la Photographie (MEP). A real premiere in the history of this institution that has only devoted two exhibitions to photo magazines, Realités, and Vu. Two mythical publications, but “dead” as de l’air is still alive. Or we could say surviving…. as economic conditions for the press are difficult in general as it is for the magazines and other independent titles.
de l’air was born in Paris on April 18, 2000. Founded by Stéphane Brasca, then journalist, with the additional support of two photographers, Grégoire Korganow and Julien Chatelin (in association with the journalists Daniel Roux and Christophe Dinocheau and the designer Gilles Poplin).
Stéphane Brasca remembers:
“With a ridiculous patrimony of 15,000 euros, this quarterly quickly grew a beautiful notoriety defying the laws of the economy and creating its own route, far from the freeways of one-way information. For the past eleven years, it has featured reportages, portraits, landscapes, nudes, still life, the experience of photographers telling today’s worlds.
de l’air is not a museum that would satisfy itself only publishing iconic pictures, it is a real place of creation, a laboratory that enjoys discovering artists, giving them a chance, opening its pages to write together a moving history…
Through this exhibition, a first as well for most of the authors presented, de l’air gathers a generation that surpasses the divide and exceeds ages. A generation that wishes to live photography intensively. With over sixty images, on a reasonable format (30×40), signed by over forty artists, this show reflects the spirit of this tireless magazine. Without a precise subject, or even multiplying the themes, this showing surprises in its eclecticism and coherence. Gathering all photographic writing, it translates the spirit of the magazine.
“In order to support my approach, I wanted to create an ambiance of a newsroom in the silent walls of this room in the MEP. A wall is devoted to printed and designed features. Reportages, interviews, portraits published and pinned up simply. A few “cult” covers remind the visitor of the essence of this exhibition. A plasma screen completes the device showing in loop in extenso photographic series.”
List of photographers
Jean-Luc Bertini, Denis Bourges, Emmanuelle Bousquet, Jérôme Brézillon, Sandra Calligaro, Julien Chatelin, Gilles Coulon, Mathilde de l’Ecotais, Floriane de Lassée, Bertrand Desprez, Alinka Echeverria, Gilles Elie-dit-Cosaque, Wilfried Estève, Bruno Fournier, Olivia Gay, Pierre Gayte, Shadi Ghadirian, Stanislas Guigui, Estelle Haniana, Sophie Hatier, Guillaume Herbaut, Jean-Marie Huron, Mina Angela Ighnatova, Mat Jacob, Grégoire Korganow, François Lacour,Eric Larraydieu, Florent Mattei, Patrick Messina, Meyer, Laurent Monlaü, Malik Nejmi, Joël Robine, Olivier Roller, Sonia Sieff, Flore-Aël Surun, Patrick Swirc, Linda Tuloup, Elene Usdin, Dune Varela.
From June 29 through September 25
Maison Européenne de la Photographie.
5, 7 rue de Fourcy
75004 Paris
