Images Vevey in the Technological Age

Walking back to happiness © Maisie Cousins

Beyond the spectacular nature of its 50 original projects, the 9th Images Vevey Biennial invites us to pay attention to the place of technology in our daily lives, while still presenting some traditional photographic approaches.

The End of Democracy in Five Acts

Young girls in Manila are seen with their mobile phones during a community blackout. © Hannah Reyes Morales

New York University’s Gallatin Galleries examines the ongoing attacks on democracies in five countries around the world in the exhibition “The End of Democracy in Five Acts”. It features The work of 5 photojournalists who have documented recent political events in El Salvador, Kenya, Poland, the Philippines, and India to show how legal efforts, including the courts, police, and surveillance technology, are used to undermine or dismantle democratic processes.

Discovering Grzegorz Przyborek

Mécanisme de reprise après la pandémie, extrait de la série Covid, 2020-2021 © Grzegorz Przyborek

At the Polyptique photography fair, hosted by the Centre Photographique de Marseille (CPM) in late August, visitors were invited to explore Touching Silence, a new exhibition by Grzegorz Przyborek.

An Intimate Look into the Battle for Women’s Rights in Afghanistan

Kabul, Kabul, Afghanistan, February 8, 2024. A mother is struggling to provide for her children under dire circumstances. One of her sons suffers from a painful skin condition and seizure attacks but cannot be taken to a doctor due to a lack of funds. Her family burns old fabric or clothes from neighbours for heating. She is also afraid of sending her children out to collect materials because the Taliban have detained her 12-year-old son multiple times, believing him to be a beggar: "I walked all the way to Bagh-e-Bala prison and back it was night, and cold. In the prison, they would get water but no food, and he had his boots but no clothes." The family is facing severe financial difficulties, with five months of overdue rent at 1,500 Afghanis per month (19.50 euros). Her husband, who previously worked in a factory, is now unable to work due to a spine injury."Before the change, things were good, I could send my kids on the street to work, they could bring back some money, and my husband was able to work." Despite the hardships, she refuses to send her children to beg for food, although they sometimes collect plastic to burn for warmth. She dreams of a better future for her daughter and wishes she could provide everything her daughter needs, especially medical care for her leg pains. "We have dignity, I don't send my kids to the neighbours to collect food... Even if we don't have food or anything to eat, we sit still and hungry, but we won't go knock on the neighbour's door to get food." © Kiana Hayeri for Fondation Carmignac

The 14th edition of the Carmignac Photojournalism Award is dedicated to the condition of women and girls in Afghanistan following the return of the Taliban to power in August 2021. The Award was granted to the reporting project proposed by the duo of Canadian-Iranian photojournalist Kiana Hayeri and French researcher Mélissa Cornet, which was produced over a six-month period with the support of the Fondation Carmignac.

An Insider’s Look at the Tiananmen Square Incidents

'89 Tiananmen © Kan Tai Wong

In 1989, photographer Kan Tai Wong covered the student protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. The 2024 edition of his book ’89 Tiananmen, which was recently awarded the 2024 Historical Book Award at Les Rencontres d’Arles, presents an intimate look at the protesters, their hopes, their resilience, and their determination.

Andres Serrano: America Beyond Good and Evil

“Old Glory I” 1920’s American 48 Stars Flag (Infamous), 2019

Portraits by American photography’s enfant terrible are on display at the Musée Maillol in Paris until October 20. This retrospective is essential to grasping the deep rift dividing the United States on the eve of the upcoming presidential election on November 5.

Fires of Wrath

La maison de Tina Bakasek sur un terrain nouvellement acquis suite à Camp Fire. « C’est ici que j’ai rencontré mon premier amour, que je l’ai épousé. J’y a fondé ma famille, élevé mes enfants. Je me sens extrêmement chanceuse d’avoir survécu à Camp Fire, je ne voudrais quitter Paradise pour rien au monde. » – Août 2021 © Maxime Riché

From 2020 to 2021, photographer Maxime Riché documented the devastation wrought by the megafires in Paradise, California. In a book published by André Frère, his stunning infrared landscapes and raw portraits of survivors provide a distinctive lens on this climate catastrophe.

Remote Nepal: Six Weeks of Self-Reliance in a Far-off Corner of the World

Samuel Urtado, Bertrand Courtot, and Clément Cangiano, three friends accustomed to long mountain treks, spent six weeks in the Nepalese Far West, one of the world’s most isolated regions steeped in tradition. In addition to proofs of physical prowess and memories, they brought back some beautiful images of their journey through the Himalayan mountains.

“Lee Miller’s Camera Became a Weapon of Choice”

For the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Saint-Malo (France), the city is exhibiting the photos of Lee Miller, a fashion icon, a surrealist artist and war reporter who covered the siege of the French city of Saint-Malo (Brittany) as close as possible to the fighting. On the occasion of the film also dedicated to her, Blind met Antony Penrose, the son of Lee Miller and director of his mother’s archives.

Manoocher Deghati: an Eyewitness from the Middle East

Female political prisoners inside the infamous Evin-Prison in Tehran, 1982 © Manoocher Deghati

Photographer Manoocher Deghati has been photographing conflicts, social issues and everyday events from around the globe throughout a career that spans several decades. Eyewitness is the first retrospective of Deghati’s work, and the first biographical photo book published by FotoEvidence.

Anastasia Taylor-Lind: “The Situation has Changed a Lot in Ukraine”

Living in the Middle of Conflict, Donbass, 2018. © Anastasia Taylor-Lind / Imperial War Museums. (photo of the family with the horse)

Photojournalist Anastasia Taylor-Lind has been traveling across Ukraine for more than ten years and paints a portrait of a country and a population whose daily life is punctuated by war. Her work, produced with her friend the Ukrainian journalist Alisa Sopova, and entitled “Ukraine: Photographs from the Frontline”, is exhibited at the Verdun Memorial (France), offering a sometimes disturbing echo with the images of the First World War. And her work “5k From the Frontline” is presented at the Visa pour l’image festival in Perpignan. She tells Blind about her experience on the front and her vision of the profession.

The Violent Birth of Bangladesh

From Bangladesh: Rise of a Nation © Raghu Rai / Magnum Photos

In 1971 Bangladesh was created through a bloody war for independence. The brutal fighting between Bangladesh and Pakistan, which eventually also drew in India, led to both a genocide of up to 3 million, and a refugee crisis of 10 million people. Photojournalist Raghu Rai’s images of the refugee crisis stand as a powerful testimony to these events, the effects of which are being felt today.

Treasure and Junk

Photo courtesy of the Todd Webb Archive

Which trinkets did Robert Frank and Todd Webb keep for decades—and why? The stories behind the objects.

On the Road

Todd Webb, Diner, Ouray, CO, 1955, printed 2023, inkjet print, courtesy of Todd Webb Archive. © Todd Webb Archive

In 1955, photographers Robert Frank and Todd Webb set out to capture a rapidly changing America. Now, for the first time, a new exhibition in Houston shows their photos together — and reveals how what they saw forever changed their view of the country.

Yasuhiro Ishimoto: Of Lines and Bodies

Yasuhiro Ishimoto, Chicago, Beach, 1948-1952 © Kochi Prefecture, Ishimoto Yasuhiro Photo Center

Given the rarity of exhibitions and publications on Yasuhiro Ishimoto, photography enthusiasts are eager to flock to Le BAL in Paris to explore the works of this under-recognized American Japanese photographer. The exhibition offers a rich array of images from Japan and the United States, dating to the early career of this pivotal figure in modern Japanese photography.

Building the Future in the Urban South

Work in Progress © Peter Essick

For his latest book, Peter Essick produced through aerial photography abstract and painterly images of construction sites in Atlanta. In presenting this series, Essick’s goal is to reveal the human impact of development as well as the enduring power of the land.

Look at the USA: A Diary of War and Home

Police search for drug buyers, Baltimore, Maryland, 2019

Driven by ideology, insecurity, ambition, and a fascination with war, Peter van Agtmael began documenting America’s war in Iraq in 2006. What followed was a nearly two decade long photographic odyssey that resulted in an unprecedented photographic work that looks to understand and peel back the layers of his troubled society.

The Daily Life of a Paraplegic Gang Member

Malik's bedroom in the Mitchel Houses

Over the course of three years, Dr. Greg Gulbransen photographed Malik, a leader in the street gang the Crips, in New York. In 2018, Malik got shot and paralyzed by a bullet from a rival gang. As a result, his world now centers around his small apartment in the Bronx, where he is cared for by his family and fellow gang members.

Giulietta Palumbo, Magnum Photos: “Action Against Hunger’s Grant for a New Humanitarian Look is a Valuable Opportunity for Photographers”

Mangambu, femme de Clément Tshibangu, motard partenaire d'ACF pour les références médicales entre UNTI et UNTA © Alexis Huguet pour Action contre la Faim

Until August 31, 2024, Action Against Hunger is inviting photographers, videographers, cartoonists and content creators to take part in the second edition of its Multimedia Grant for a New Humanitarian Perspective. This grant, worth 10 000 euros, is intended to be a place for the exploration of new narrative and iconographic processes. It invites participants […]

A Breath of Fresh Air in Arles

Number One, “Save America” Rally, Youngstown, Ohio, U.S., Model Citizens series, photograph, 2022. Courtesy of the artist.

The opening week of the Rencontres d’Arles began with unseasonably cool weather for southern France. Just 86°F in the shade, accompanied by gusts of the mistral wind. The week concluded with a uniquely rainy Saturday, described as “a sad day” by many festival-goers, marking a definitive close to the festivities. While the weather threw a […]

Marginal Images

Gusmano Cesaretti. Chaz Running: a back street near Whittier Boulevard, East Los Angeles, 1973. Courtesy of the artist.

How can photography capture the “outside,” the “alongside”? Several exhibitions at this year’s Rencontres d’Arles explore the concept of the margins: the fringes of society, the perspective chosen by the artist, and the boundaries of the image itself. Here, we focus on four approaches that are as disconcerting as they are captivating.

Documentary Focus at Les Rencontres d’Arles

The 55th edition of Les Rencontres d’Arles shines a spotlight on documentary photography, spanning from classic twentieth-century techniques to the most experimental contemporary approaches that offer a new perspective on the world. These diverse projects challenge the status of photography and examine our relationship with images.

In Arles, a Focus on Japanese Photography

Narahashi Asako. Kawaguchiko, 2003, half awake and half asleep in the water series. Courtesy of the artist / PGI / Aperture.

Japan takes center stage at the 55th Rencontres d’Arles. Five exhibitions celebrate the country’s photographic art, in particular by women, bringing to light underrecognized yet seminal works.

Gabriele Münter and Eudora Welty: Starting with Photography

In Montpellier, France, the exhibition “In the Beginning, Photography”, brings together the work of Gabriele Münter and Eudora Welty, who both tried their hand at photography before becoming, respectively, a painter and a writer. The show delves into their little-known oeuvre circumscribed by a shared geographic territory: the American Southeast.

Stephen Shore: On the Road, on the Rails, and in the Air

Second Street, Ashland, Wisconsin, July 9, 1973, de la série Uncommon Places, 1973-1986 © Stephen Shore. Courtesy 303 Gallery, New York and Sprüth Magers

The Fondation Cartier-Bresson in Paris presents a comprehensive retrospective dedicated to American photographer Stephen Shore, celebrated for his colorful explorations of America. The exhibition, complemented by a publication from Atelier EXB, showcases a selection of approximately one hundred images that highlight how various modes of transport are integral to his creative process.

Mirrors of Japan

The 76th album in the “100 Photos for the Freedom of the Press” series is the first ever to celebrate Japan. It showcases the unique perspectives of 14 great photographers, moving beyond the usual imagery associated with the Land of the Rising Sun.

Robert Capa: Icons, Unpublished Images, and Confidences

Renault factory workers on strike, Boulogne-Billancourt, France, May-June 1936

The American photographer is being honored with an exhibition at Les Franciscaines, in Deauville (France), and a magnificent accompanying book, published by Atelier EXB. The latter contains his most famous photos, a selection of lesser-known images and a host of stories and anecdotes that add to the myth.

Best Regards, Paolo Roversi

Paolo Roversi au studio Luce, Paris, 23 septembre 2022 © Clara Belleville

They are heirs to a time in suspension, and their images continue to enrich the world history of photography and our own impatient eyes. Blind shares the memories of some magical encounters with these virtuosos of the camera, soloists in black & white or in color, artists faithful to gelatin silver photography or bewitched by digital technologies. Today : Paolo Roversi confronting the enigma of the portrait.

Bernard Plossu: Sixty Years of Tender Photography

To coincide with the release of a book devoted to Bernard Plossu, the Camera Obscura gallery in Paris presents a retrospective exhibition of sixty images tracing the career of this photographer of travel, walks, photographic chance, the unexpected and the glimpsed.

Karl Struss and the Rise of Hollywood

Agnes Ayres looking at mirror, "Forbidden Fruit"; 1920 © Karl Struss (1886-1981)

Bringing together over 100 images alongside films and Hollywood ephemera, an exhibition charts the career of the photographer-turned-filmmaker who helped define American cinematography.