For the second edition of Chaumont-Photo-sur-Loire, five highly-acclaimed photographers have been invited to exhibit their work in the Galleries of the Château and Farm from 17 November 2018 to 28 February 2019.
As artists-in-residence or guest artists, what the photographers for this second season all have in common – over and above the poetic relationship they nurture with nature through the techniques they use – is their meticulous and attentive experimental approach.
Two exhibitions are the fruit of an on-site residency and of a wholly original project, where contemporary technology has yielded unique images of the Domaine’s grounds, landscapes and trees.
The London-based Italian artist Davide Quayola has produced very high definition photographs and scenes which, similar to an x-ray, reveal the geometry of trees and complexity of nature – the essence from which things are made, if you like. For six months, from the winter to the summer solstice, US photographer Robert Charles Mann installed his “solargraphs” at various points around the Domaine, capturing the changing pattern of the sun’s curving path. Finnish photographer Santeri Tuori, meanwhile, also uses a very specific layering technique for his Forest series, sometimes combining colour and black & white photographs to produce surreal, timelessly fascinating images.For her part, the intrepid visual explorer Juliette Agnel lays bare the depth and wonder of extreme landscapes, from the Arctic Ocean to the skies over Morocco, all reflections of her rich interiority. Lastly, ahead of the events celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Renaissance, a special commission has been given to the prominent US photographer Alex MacLean, who captures the essence of landscapes so exquisitely: through his aerial photographs, he reveals the power and grace of the timeless architecture of the Loire Valley’s Renaissance Châteaux. a posé, pendant six mois, du solstice d’hiver au solstice d’été, en divers points du Domaine, ses “solargraphes” recueillant l’empreinte mouvante des courbes du soleil.
Quant au photographe finlandais Santeri Tuori, il utilise également pour ses Forêts une technique particulière de surimpression, mêlant parfois la couleur et le noir et blanc, pour aboutir à des images irréelles d’une fascinante intemporalité.
La grande aventurière du regard qu’est Juliette Agnel dévoile, pour sa part, la profondeur et le sublime de paysages de l’extrême, aux confins de l’Arctique ou dans les ciels du Maroc, qui sont autant de reflets de sa riche intériorité.
Enfin, en avant-première des événements liés à la célébration du 500ème anniversaire de la Renaissance, une commande a été passée, une mission particulière confiée au grand photographe américain Alex MacLean, qui sait si bien capter l’essence des paysages : révéler, par des clichés aériens, la puissance et la grâce de l’intemporelle architecture des châteaux de la Renaissance en Val de Loire.
Chantal Colleu-Dumond
Curator, Chaumont-Photo-sur-Loire