Establishing this physical connection with the artwork results in the creation of unique pieces that defy the norms of analog photography and oppose the reproducibility of digital photography.

A new temporality also characterizes them. Their creative process is slow, as if they feel the need to slow down and adopt a different pace, contrasting with the speed of the shutter click. The artists take a path that requires lengthy preparation, favoring reflection and introspection, also inviting viewers to pause.

Why this quest? Why go beyond the simple act of taking a photograph? We asked this question to each of them. Experimentation and the desire to return to the alchemy of the photographic process come to the forefront. With the ease of use of digital photography and smartphones, artists feel the need to return to the foundations of the process, to work in the darkroom or in full light, where new experiences are born. They explore and challenge conventions of film development, medium, and even camera-less photography.

In UNIQUE, there is also a discussion of meaning and awareness. Most artists connect their gestural practice to conceptual approaches, addressing subjects such as ecology, the role of women, environmental degradation, technological upheavals, and many others, thus fueling global debates.

Furthermore, the artists question the concept of memory. The very essence of photography is being questioned. Is a simple photographic print no longer enough to preserve memory? Some artists attempt to grasp this metamorphosis by intervening on the print, adding marks of time, almost like wrinkles on an aged face.

“Getting hands dirty,” sculpting, playing with material: going beyond the simple photographic print also allows for exploration of other artistic forms such as drawing, painting, collage, installation, or weaving. Some mention a transfer of energy, a ritualization, and a sanctification of their creative process.

After the “contre-culture dans la photographie contemporaine”* couldn’t we definitively consider the photographic print as a true work of art? UNIQUE invites us to ponder on this question.

Delphine Dumont, Hangar director

*Cf : Contre-culture dans la photographie contemporaine, Michel Poivert, Editions Textuel, Paris, 2022

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