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| Photo by Miki Johnson |
| Click photo for more images from PHotoEspaña 2007. |
It was often with these large, theoretical multimedia shows that this year's festival seemed to hit its stride. For instance, Man Ray Unconcerned But Not Indifferent was a fascinating look at the art and objects that inspired the American-born, French-adopted multimedia master. At a press walk-through of the extensive exhibit, co-curator John Jacob remembered a friend calling to ask if he had heard of a Man Ray trust in Long Island, of all places. It turned out to be a nearly undocumented treasure trove of historical bjects overseen by Ray's wife that including unseen paintings, items used to make the artist's famous "Rayographs," and his signature bowler hat and walking cane. After four years of documenting the trust's holdings, Jacob and Noriko Fuku created this show and a burgeoning catalogue highlighting Ray's sources of inspiration and drawn exclusively from the Long Island trust.
But photo exhibits alone do not a photo festival make. PHotoEspaña's most popular programming is undoubtedly its Encuentros events, which this year included slideshows by photographers like Michael Ackerman, Lea Crespi, John Davies, and Stanley Greene. Round table discussions brought in curators Catherine Coleman and Paul Wombell, collector Anabel Suero de González, picture editor Pepe Baeza, and historian Hans-Michael Koetzle. Lectures by Georges Did-Huberman and Christian Caujolle (who also directs the programming) rounded out the schedule, which was set this year in the huge new auditorium at Madrid's Reina Sofía museum. Because these Encuentros events are free and open to the public, they draw huge crowds from all over Spain and Europe, and in many ways define the dialogue and themes for each year's festival.
For a more select crowd -- the 60 photographers chosen as finalists for the Descubrimientos (Discovery) Award -- the festival still revolves around the hallowed portfolio review. Twenty reviewers were on hand this year, including picture editors, curators, and museum directors. Selections of the finalists' work were also displayed in a group exhibit, which garnered many of the emerging photographers positive feedback and important connections. The winner of the Descubrimientos Award will be announced later in the festival and will be given an individual exhibition at PHotoEspaña 2008.
Over the past decade, PHotoEspaña has grown so exponentially that the 2007 program sometimes felt too widely dispersed -- including more than 60 locations in three cities if you count off-festival galleries and the first shows at Arles. Madrid's striking architecture and the welcoming spirit of the PHotoEspaña's organizers helped counteract that sensation, but next year's curator and his or her chosen themes will have the important responsibility of defining this large festival -- and it's place among Europe's other top photo shows.
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