Photomed Opening at Souks de Beyrouth : Costa Gavras, Tony Hageand Stratis Vogiatzis
The selection of artists on view at the Souks des Bijoutiers in Beirut is a motley one. A glass of wine in hand, I pass from Mediterranean fishermen by Stratis Vogiatzis to candid celebrity shots by Tony Hage and Costa Gavras.
Families and friends of the Lebanese photographer mingle with beginners and veterans of the Lebanese photo scene, predominantly Francophone that evening. The critics would come later on to dwell on the photographs. They’re scared of crowds, and perhaps good times. That evening smiles were on everyone’s lips, beginning with Tony Hage, who was delighted to present his celebrity portrait series taken between 1981 and 1985 in Paris. He expressed his gratitude, struck a pose, and started taking questions from visitors.
In the next room, I’m mesmerized by the wake of fishing boats in the photos of Stratis Vogiatzis, who spent nearly five years on the sea among fishermen from nine different nationalities. They’re hard to tell apart. After all, the sea has its own nationality. I was hooked, staring at their eyes, their hands, the fish. These documentary photographs evolved into a more personal quest. “After three years, I realized that I wanted to say something about myself, my fears, my hopes, my questions. They gave me the chance to do this, to use their world to talk about my own.” His photographs pass from realism to surrealism, from light into darkness.
Then it’s a change of course with Costa Gavras. The room is a little empty. Tony Hage seems to have a hold on the crowd, but how you can you blame him? It’s a home game. Upstairs a rowdy child is throwing a tantrum. “Who raised him?” someone asks. Luckily it’s bedtime for him, and it’s time for me to take my leave, as well.
Photomed runs through February 16 in several locations throughout the Lebanese capital.
FESTIVAL
Photomed
January 17 – February 16, 2014
Beirut
Lebanon
http://www.festivalphotomed.com/index.php/lib/Photomed
