Paris Photo continues to gain momentum. This year, the return to the Grand Palais allows the fair to double its space compared to previous years. The publishing sector benefits from this expanded area, now beautifully situated on the galleries overlooking the main hall. On exhibition, designed as a pedagogical project, caught our attention.
Conceived by the Institut pour la photographie (Lille) in collaboration with Photo Élysée (Lausanne), L is for Look is an exhibition tracing the evolution of children’s photobooks since the 1930s. Its originality lies in its conception as an inclusive project centered around visual pedagogy. The exhibit’s scenography and cultural mediation are designed to emphasize the playful, educational, and empowering potential of this genre through a multi-sensory interaction with the books.
The exhibition is set to tour several European venues starting in September 2025: Photo Elysée in Lausanne, Folkwang Museum in Essen, Rencontres d’Arles, the Photographer’s Gallery in London, CNA in Luxembourg, Foto Arsenal in Vienna, and finally, the Institut pour la photographie in Lille upon its reopening. Altogether, the project showcases over around hundred works across several sections, highlighting the rich diversity of this lesser-known genre to which many prominent photographers—both men and women—have contributed. For these artists, children’s photobooks serve as a catalyst, offering creative freedom.
At the Grand Palais, visitors of all ages can preview these experiences through five themes: Learning through anthropomorphism, as celebrated by William Wegman (b. 1943) with his famous Weimaraners; Framing with Tana Hoban (1917-2006), who always carried a cut-out bookmark to help people frame reality; Transforming with Claire Dé (b. 1968), who creates numerous children’s books using studio photography; Drawing with Tomi Ungerer (1931-2019), who enhanced his graphic work with humorous collages from magazine cuttings; and Animating with Russian constructivists Alexander Rodchenko (1891-1956) and Varvara Stepanova (1894-1958).
Noé Kieffer, Head of Artistic and Cultural Transmission at the Institut pour la photographie, emphasizes that in developing the project, the team prioritized varied modes of interaction with the content. The exhibition unfolds through interactive books that engage with original works or wallpapers, tactile images for visually impaired visitors, videos, sound creations, a variety of objects, walls for drawing, and a studio for creating one’s own scenes and photographs.
This is a fascinating—and innovative—exploration of children’s photobooks, offering multiple layers of engagement. It invites visitors to touch, observe, and play with visual elements, stimulating their senses and imagination, helping them develop their own perspective, and teaching them to visually interpret the world from an early age.
Zoé Isle de Beauchaine
L is for Look can be found on the first floor of the Grand Palais. Look for “Educational Project” on the map!
