For the 2012 edition of the Printemps de Septembre, the curator, historian and art critic Paul Ardenne decided to present ‘History is Mine!’ It is a history that has been written, revisited and shaped by the artists in a unique way.

He spoke with the Le Journal de la Photographie about the place of photography in contemporary art today.

“For me, the era of photography that consisted of artists examining the medium as such, and reflecting on its characteristics, is over. Today, the artist is more versatile, and uses different techniques—photo, video, painting—depending on the work.”

“When Anselm Kiefer used photographic self-portraits for the series Occupations in the 1970s, he mounted them on lead in order to create a work that was no longer photography, but a hybrid of photography and material.”

“In a different genre, the collective AES+F also uses photography, but to make paintings. They take history painting as a reference point to create entirely photoshopped paintings. The effect is striking: we enter an abstract world between drawing and photography.”

“The Internet has revolutionized our relationship to photography. Images are increasingly seen on the web, and it is press photography that’s becoming the exception. The image has lost its sacred aura, and we are entering a new and exciting era.”

Interview by Sybile Girault

Le Printemps de Septembre 2012
History is mine !
From September 28th to Octobre 21st, 2012
31000 Toulouse - France