those eyes - these eyes - they fade
12 July 2022 - 13 August 2022
Curated by Anne Immelé
(Detail) Nigel Baldacchino, from series Fog & those eyes, these eyes, they fade event poster
those eyes - these eyes - they fade
those eyes - these eyes - they fade
Curated by Anne Immelé
Participating artists: Nigel Baldacchino (MT), Bénédicte Blondeau (BE), Awoiska van der Molen (NL), Bernard Plossu (FR)
The exhibition invites the viewer to move through contrasting environments that provoke a multiplicity of perceptions. Like images perceived within the blink of an eye, the exhibition articulates visions a reality that is sometimes near, other times far. From Bernard Plossu’s expansive, radiant deserts to Bénédicte Blondeau’s shadow-lit, barren caves, from Nigel Baldacchino’s urban parks at dawn to Awoiska van der Molen’s vacant urban architecture of inquietude at dusk, the photographs transport the viewer to imagined spaces, oscillating between the first signs of life at day break to dusk and disappearance.
Singular representation of natural or man-made objects and structures, these images recall the paradoxical nature of photography, characterised by its ability to record and represent the visible, as well as its capacity to disturb it. The presentation of photographic ‘evidence’ conveys doubt and introspection, gazing out, as a way of looking in.
Both intimate and distant, these images depict a close, personal outlook that is presented less as something to be grasped than something to witness. The spirit of the work, its silent universe, lies just outside the frame, reinforcing the paradox of photography as evocation rather than portrayal.
The exhibition itself does not present the photographed subjects and spaces in any kind of hierarchy or narrative. Instead, the show is conceived as an extended meditation, an active and poetic contemplation on the medium transcending its defining purpose.
Communications, PR & Logistics by Emma Mattei
The exhibition is benefitting from the Project Support Fund by Arts Council Malta
Additional support by: Noi Studio, Valletta Vintage, Ambassade de France à Malta, iLAB Photo, Saint Paul Valletta, People & Skin
Anne Immelé
Anne Immelé, Ph.D. is a photographer working as a teacher and exhibition curator. In 2013 she co-founded the BPM - Mulhouse Photography Biennial for which she serves to date as the artistic director for the festival and curator for specific exhibitions. Her curatorial work often relies on a thorough spatial understanding of venues to expose associations sought between exhibited photographs.
Immelé’s curatorial research stems from a PhD thesis entitled Constellations Photographiques [ Photographic Constellations ], presented in 2007 at the University of Strasbourg and published by Médiapop Éditions in 2015. Her active interest concerning the challenges of exhibiting contemporary photography in the present media landscape is also reflected in articles published in Art Press magazine. She is
the author of several books featuring her own photography, including WIR with the philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy (Filigranes Éditions, 2003), and Oublie Oublie, (Médiapop, 2021).
Aside from this show, she is presently working on Celestial Bodies from the 5th édition of the BPM. While her photographic output is exhibited regularly on an international level, she also teaches at the HEAR [ Haute école des arts du Rhin ] and lives and works in Mulhouse.