*Sébastien Reeuzé, Rivière DSC_0145, 2021, Analog color photography, 127 x 102 cms, 50 x 40 4/25 inches, Unique, Series: Rivière*

After two years of closure amid the pandemic, one of the most awaited events in international photography reopened to the public this past weekend.

This year, the 24th edition of Paris Photo presents three sectors: the main sector, featuring 127 galleries from 28 countries; the Curiosa sector, dedicated to emerging artists; and the publisher’s sector, which brings together 30 publishers from nine countries.

Alongside the different art expositions, Paris Photo organizes on-site conversations with photographers, curators, authors and other professionals. This year also introduces online viewing rooms, a digital platform that enables all collectors and art lovers who cannot visit the fair in person to discover and explore the various exhibits.

Curiosa, curated by Photoworks director Shoair Mavlian, presents the work of 20 photographers from 11 countries and brings diversity to the forefront of the exhibition. It includes new documentary practices, experimental approaches to photography, diaristic endeavors and contemporary conceptual projects. Below is a selection of some of the Curiosa photographers.

Sébastien Reuzé of UN-SPACED Gallery in Paris investigates a variety of creative media and their relationships to contemporary myths. His work reflects on the effects of time, its nature and its implications. Reuzé experiments with color in every stage of the process, showing us the essence of what photography is: light striking paper.

Jošt Dolinšek of Photon Gallery in Ljubljana, Slovenia, explores the human perception of the natural environment in To Move the Sun and Earth Away. He questions how we comprehend the world around us, and how deeply our sense of otherness is rooted in nature.

Lucas Leffler of Intervalle in Paris experiments with a limited series of non-reproducible, identical images in Zilverbeek. He photographs the mud of the “Silver River,” nicknamed after the Agfa-Gevaert photo paper factory that dumped chemical residue, including silver salts, into the stream. Leffler now digs to try to find traces of chemistry and designs his own photographic emulsions.

Anastasia Samoylova of Galerie Caroline O’Breen in Amsterdam explores notions of environmentalism, consumerism and the picturesque in her work. In her latest project Floridas, she documents a layered portrait of contemporary Florida and establishes a dialogue with the oeuvre of Walker Evans. Samoylova employs a language similar to Evans’ detached and laconic imagery, highlighting a need for change.

Gosette Lubondo of Galerie Angalia in Congo shares her ongoing series Imaginary Trip II, set at a boarding school founded in 1936 in the Kongo Central province. Using the school building as her set, Lubondo stages images and uses her own body to perform in the space, taking on the role of both student and teacher. Lubondo describes her performative interventions as a way to keep the school’s memory alive.

John Yuyi of Over the Influence in Hong Kong explores the theme of living life in the moment in conjunction with social media and the internet. Her work reflects her own emotions, the pressure of daily observation in modern society and the sensitivity of the emotions of others.