‘Photography Nobel Prize’ Joan Fontcuberta on show in Paris

Barcelona (ACN).- The Maison Européenne de la Photographie (MEP) in Paris will open on Wednesday, January, 15^th an exhibition entitled ‘Camouflages’, devoted to the renowned photographer Joan Fontcuberta . Thanks to 10 series of photographs, visitors will journey through the works of the Catalan artist, who was awarded the prestigious Hasselblad prize in 2013, considered as ‘the Photography Nobel Prize’. The jury had highlighted that Fontcuberta was “one of the most imaginative contemporary photographers” of our time. According to the MEP curators, 9 conceptually autonomous series of photographs will be displayed with a modular structure, so that the event becomes an “exhibition of exhibitions”. A tenth series will be “camouflaged” within the other 9.  In this last series visitors will notably discover portraits inspired by masterpiece paintings, which include typical elements of John Fontcuberta’s work and physiognomy.

The exhibition, which will occupy three of the four floors of the MEP, is centred on the notions of ​​camouflage, concealment, and disguise, which are at the core of the Barcelona-born artist’s work. Indeed, Joan Fontcuberta, who grew up under the Franco Dictatorship, has constantly reflected on censorship and on how images could be manipulated. The works displayed in Paris explore the camouflage of the artist, of photography, of reality, and of truth.

A catalogue on Fontcuberta’s work accompanies the exhibition

The exhibition, which will run until the 16^th of March, is accompanied by a catalogue that was co-produced by Contrasto and Gustavo Gili publishing companies, with the support of the MEP and the MUN (Museum of the University of Navarra), as well as the collaboration of the Ramon Llull Institute, a public body devoted to the promotion of Catalan culture and language abroad.

La Maison Européenne de la Photographie (MEP), along with the Musée du Jeu de Paume, is the most important exhibition centre for contemporary photography in Paris. It is located in the Hotel Henault de Cantobre, built in 1706 in the ‘Marais’ neighbourhood, and houses an exhibition centre, a library, a video library and an auditorium. The permanent collection features over 20,000 works embodying international photographic creation from the 1950s to the present day.