By Elin Spring and Suzanne Révy
Even seasoned visitors attest to the overwhelming atmosphere of Paris Photo, the biggest, oldest photography fair in the world. So, we imagined we had some inkling of what to expect on our inaugural trip to this august event. Wrong. Our initial strategy to ensure an enticing, cohesive angle all but evaporated as we took in the enormity of the fair and nonstop programming inside and outside Le Grand Palais Éphémère. We quickly pivoted and embraced the electric atmosphere of the event, savoring the excitement of discovery. When we approached the fair as a garden of delights, ripe for picking, we happily immersed ourselves in a search for highlights in a mostly intuitive way. After all, isn’t intuition the origin of our most inspiring art? We combed the seemingly endless booths for imagery and artists that piqued our curiosity and riveted our attention. What follows is a bouquet from our wanderings through the fields of Paris Photo. Although we jettisoned our attempt at a cohesive viewpoint, we hope our selection of images brings you some of the excitement and fun we had during our intense, exhausting, and exhilarating visit to Paris Photo 2023.

Pascal Convert (b. 1957) Panoramique de la Falaise de Bamiyan, Afghanistan, (detail of 15 panel installation), 2016-2020, platinum/palladium contact print on 300 gr. cotton paper, 166 × 1650 cm, at Galerie RX, Paris.

Kenryou Gu, Eiffel Tower, 2023, ink jet print, 205 x 305cm, at Yumiko Chiba Associates, Tokyo.

Kenryou Gu, Eiffel Tower (detail from above image), 2023 ink jet print, at Yumiko Chiba Associates, Tokyo.

Miguel Rothschild, (b. 1963) Birth of a Spirit, 2019, archival pigment print, 118 x 700 cm, at Bendana Pinel, Paris.

Miguel Rothschild, Birth of a Spirit (detail from above image), 2019, archival pigment print, at Bendana Pinel, Paris.

Michael Lange, (b. 1953) CM 16792, 2017, archival pigment print, 133 x 100cm at Robert Morat Galerie, Berlin.

Jung Lee (b. 1972)from the series Aporia, C-type print, 160 x 200 cm, at Christophe Guye Galerie, Zürich & Amsterdam.

Kim Boske, (b. 1978) Kawa no nagara #4, Inkjet print on washipapier in artist frame, 199 x 100cm, at FLAT//LAND Gallery Amsterdam.

Alexandra Germán (b. 1986) from the series Diaphanous, Inkjet prints on paper intervened by hand with a soldering iron and metallic leaf, 61.5 x 86.5cm each, at Patricia Conde Galeria, Mexico City.

Alexandra Germán (b. 1986) from the series Diaphanous (detail from above image) at Patricia Conde Galeria, Mexico City.

Paul Cupido, (b. 1972) Sakura Moon, Kiso Valley, Japan, 2023 on unique Japanese Mulberry paper, at Bildhalle, Zürich & Amsterdam.

Sandra Kantanen, (b. 1974) Untitled (Forest Fire), 2022Pigment print diasec, 112 x 92.5 cm, at Purdy Hicks Gallery, London.

Yann Mingard three diptychs from the series Indocile archival pigment print, 72 x 54.5 cm each at Parrotta Contemporary Art, Cologne & Bonn.

Leyla Cárdenas, (b. 1975) Confluencia Macondiana, 2023 partially unweaved dye-sublimated polyester silk, wood, bronze 160 x145 x 5 cm at Max Estrella, Madrid.

Karen Knorr,(b. 1954) Master of Seduction, Amer Fort, Amer, 2017 from the series India Song, archival pigment print mounted on aluminum in white lacquered maple American box frame, 122 x152 cm, at Les Filles du Calvaire, Paris.

Niccoló Montesi, (b. 1977) MAZZORBO, 2023 pigment print on Hahnemühle cotton paper, 152.8 x 102.8 cm, at Bendana Pinel, Paris.

Jungjin Lee (b. 1961) Unnamed Road #40, archival pigment print, 200 x 10 cm, 2010-12 at Galerie Camera Obscura, Paris.

José Guerrero, (b. 1979) BRG-211, 2023 archival pigment print on cotton, 101 x 150 cm, at Alarcón Criado Gallery, Sevilla, Spain.

Johanna Calle, (b. 1965) Arquitecturas Diptyque, 2023, nail polish on two anonymous prints, at Toluca Fine Art, Paris.

Adam Jeppesen (b. 1978) Work (Maera) #4, 5 & 6, cyanotype and acrylic on canvas, 100 x 85.5 cm each at Martin Asbaek Gallery, Copenhagen.

Astrid Kruse Jensen, (b. 1975) Mirrored Conditions, 2022, archival pigment print, 140 x135cm, at Martin Asbaek Gallery, Copenhagen

Casper Faasen, (b. 1975) The Recollection series, oil paint, color and white print on seta sand, 30 x 20cm each, at Bildhalle, Zürich & Amsterdam.

Laurent Lafolie, (b. 1963) 30 enameled steel plates 14 x14cm from photos by Collette Defives, 2023_30_1956, unique pieces, painted wood frame, 111 x 95 x 4.5cm, at Galerie Binome, Paris.

Scarlett Hooft Graafland, (b. 1973) Wedding Dress, Turkey 2022, C-type print, 60 x 75cm at Flowers Gallery, London.

Alberto Carcia-Alix. (b. 1956) Fantasies at El Prado, 2019, at Albarrán Bourdais, Madrid.

Yatreda Ethiopian Art Collective, (est. 2021) Strong Hair Mosaic II (detail), archival pigment print, 195.8 x 152.4cm at Fellowship (online).

Sharon Formichella Parisi, Progetto- stare sulla croce del tempo, 2022-2023, 30 x40 cm, at Die Mauer Arte Contemporane, Prato, Italy.

Hassan Hajjaj (b. 1961) Waiting B&W, 2001, from the series 1422, digital C-type print on Fuji Crystal Archive with Green Swan Tea boxes, 129.8 x 94cm, at 193 Gallery, Paris.

Samuel Fosso, The Black Pope, 2017 C-print, 239 x 180cm, at Galerie Chrisotphe Person, Paris.

Denis Dailleux, Les Pieds aux oeillets d’Inde, 2015 color silver print at Galerie Camera Obscura, Paris.

Oleksandr Suprun (b. 1945) The Soloist, 1988, vintage gelatin silver print collage, 33 x26 cm, at Alexandra de Viveiros Gallery,

Feature Image: Hoda Afshar (b. Iran, 1983), In Turn, 2023, archival pigment prints, 169 x 128 cm each at Milani Gallery in the “Curiosa” section at Paris Photo.
Please note that we have included links to each artist’s gallery in the blue highlights.