As Paris Photo returns to the Grand Palais for its 27th edition, it feels less like a revival and more like a bold redefinition of what an art fair can be. After a major restoration of this iconic venue, the fair emerges not just with the weight of history behind it, but also with a mission to push forward the boundaries of photography—intellectually, artistically, and technologically. This is no longer merely a fair for collectors and institutions; it has become a sprawling, multifaceted event that bridges the past, present, and future of the photographic medium in the most thrilling of ways.
For anyone who has followed the trajectory of Paris Photo, the scale and scope of this year’s program will be exciting but not surprising. With 236 exhibitors from 33 countries, including 64 first-time participants, it is clear that this is a fair that knows no borders. There is a palpable energy in the air, with galleries, publishers, and independent artists coming together to engage in a global conversation about the future of photography. From institutional exhibitions to performances, book signings, and a new sector called Voices, the 2024 edition feels both ambitious and inclusive, hosting not just the established but also the emerging voices that are re-shaping photography as we know it.
Photography’s New Frontiers: A Digital & Emergence Push
Paris Photo has long been a place where the past and the future meet, and this year the fair embraces the full range of possibilities within the medium. The expanded Digital and Emergence sectors reflect a shift towards the ways photography is integrating with new technologies and expanding beyond traditional formats. But this isn’t about superficial gimmicks; these sectors highlight genuine experimentation with digital processes, virtual realities, and mixed media. It’s fascinating to witness how these new dimensions are being used to provoke new questions about photography’s place in the world.
This evolution is also complemented by the reintroduction of antiquarian books alongside contemporary publishing. The combination of the old and the new creates a unique tension that makes Paris Photo feel like a site of discovery. Where other fairs might focus solely on contemporary photography, Paris Photo continues to offer a holistic view of the medium’s history—without ever forgetting its ongoing reinvention.
Female Photographers Take Center Stage
Paris Photo has long been a supporter of women photographers, and the Elles × Paris Photo program this year is a reminder that the conversation around gender in art must not only continue but accelerate. The fair’s commitment to female artists is not just lip service—it’s an active engagement with institutions to ensure that women’s work is being acquired by museums and given the prominence it deserves. The program’s expansion this year brings attention to the staggering breadth and depth of photographic work being created by women, many of whom are pushing the boundaries of form and content in exciting new ways.
Editor’s Choice
Ester Vonplon: A Haunting Journey Into Darkness
One of the standout works this year comes from Swiss artist Ester Vonplon, whose solo exhibition, I See Darkness, is being showcased by Galerie S. Vonplon’s practice revolves around a hauntingly singular process: creating photographs in the now-abandoned Acla Tunnel in Switzerland, using nothing but the faint natural light that filters through the space. The tunnel, which has since been transformed into a nature reserve, was Vonplon’s darkroom during the March 2020 lockdown. Here, in the cold and damp of the subterranean world, she allowed her photographs to develop slowly over days, capturing the subtle effects of time, decay, and light on photosensitive paper. The resulting works, which are set to debut at Paris Photo 2024, are deeply atmospheric, playing with color and black-and-white tones in a way that feels entirely new, yet grounded in the ancient, almost alchemical process of photographic development.
What’s particularly compelling about Vonplon’s work is the way she uses the tunnel as both a space and a metaphor. The darkness of the tunnel is not merely a setting, but a portal through which we can explore the darker, more unknowable aspects of the human experience. In the work, time, space, and light become intertwined in ways that question the very nature of photographic representation. These images do not simply capture reality; they become a reflection of the passage of time itself.
A Fair for the Times
This year’s Paris Photo is an event that resists easy categorization. It is a reflection of the times we live in—an era of rapid technological change, environmental uncertainty, and heightened social awareness—and the fair’s curatorial direction proves that photography is no longer a passive medium but one that actively reflects and shapes our cultural moment. From the expansion of Digital and Emergence sectors to the haunting slow-burn of Vonplon’s tunnel photographs, Paris Photo 2024 invites visitors to reconsider what photography can do, where it can go, and what it can say about the world around us.
In a time when we often feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of images surrounding us, Paris Photo provides an antidote: a space where photography isn’t just a commodity but an invitation to slow down, to think deeply, and to confront the unknown.
More than ever, Paris Photo has become the unmissable event for anyone interested in photography—whether you are a collector, a scholar, or a curious observer. It’s a space where the best of the past, the most exciting of the present, and the most provocative of the future converge. If anything, Paris Photo 2024 proves that, despite the vastness of the medium, there is still so much more to be uncovered.