Parallel Lines: Fair Enough
Martin Parr, Italy. Pisa. The Leaning Tower of Pisa. From 'Small World'., 1990, Pigment print on Gampi paper on 24 carat gold leaf, 102 x 127 cm, Ed.4/6, Martin Parr.
CLÉMENTINE DE LA FÉRONNIÈRE
Written by Federica Belli
With Paris Photo opening tonight with a private preview, the whole industry is whispering about the predictions and the expectations about the biggest photography fair in Europe. After all, photography fairs belong to that category of events which are both revered and disregarded at the same time. In a way, while those who are admitted as exhibitors quickly realise the value of being part of such a kermesse, visitors and aspiring participants inevitably end up defining such occasions as the temple of capitalism and snottiness. Are they wrong? Most probably not. But isn’t that true for most events in our contemporary society? Most probably yes. As I currently find myself in the transition between the latter group and the former, showing my work there for the first time in my life starting tonight, I can’t help but think back to my experience as visitor in the past editions. First of all, it feels like being at work in a company where everyone hates their job but you – which means you are implicitly forced to keep your enthusiasm to yourself unless you want to look like an ecstatic child. Of course I could not hold it in, but I soon realised how French people specifically bond over their loathing for stuff in general. Want to blend in with your fellow visitors? Complain. It does not really matter about what. But the real question is: do you really want to blend in? And in case you don’t want to, feel free to approach me with your enthusiasm about that pinewood frame or that unexplainably empathic picture at the stand around the corner. I’ll be happy to follow along. Because photography is exciting to begin with, but also because the last thing we need these days is someone complaining about consumerism. What we need is more occasions like this one, more occasions in which young eyes who still get excited about being alive and telling stories get an amplified voice. We need more occasions in which the often twisted and unjust mechanisms of our society are actually precisely the catalyst for opportunities and discoveries. Because when you are done complaining about the materialistic nature of the art market these days, maybe let’s discuss about what else apart from a juicy return on their investment would push gallerists to put up with all the work and the hassle required to organise something so complicated and exhausting as a fair can be, just to showcase the work created by some excited photographer. And in no way am I implying that their enthusiasm and their involvement are dishonest, rather the opposite. Precisely when a passion reaches its peak, it needs the most resources available out there to materialise its dreams, and gallerists do not escape such law. The biggest the dream, the costlier the realisation. It is simply as it is. Thus, long live photography fairs, long live auctions, long live a market that is definitely not sustainable yet surrounds us and envelops us like a glove. Do I hope in a change in the workings of our economy? Yes. Does complaining about the circulation of money change a thing? No. And that ash frame really is quite unique, isn’t it?
Marina Abramović, Count on Us (Tesla Electricity), 2003, C-Print, 200 x 180 cm, The artist and Wilde.
WILDE
