We travel, we visit iconic monuments and landscapes, we take a picture, and we publish our images on the Internet. The sheer volume of photos produced and distributed this way testifies to our desire to be elsewhere, and its intimate relation to image-making. It also illustrates how photographs shape our understanding and our knowledge of places and geographies.
The Franco-Swiss artist Corinne Vionnet, a pioneer in the exploration of online imagery, has observed that the photos we take of major tourist landmarks are so similar as to blend into one another. How is this possible? Consciously or unconsciously, we reproduce existing visual clichés of these places, inspired by images we saw even before discovering the sites, on postcards, at the movies or on social networks.
Corinne Vionnet conducted extensive online research into the world's most visited tourist sites and the images circulating about them on the web. She asked herself how we encounter a monument or iconic place with our digital cameras and smartphones. What point of view do we choose? Which aspects of the place do we include in the image, and which do we ignore?
The Photo Opportunities series is the result of this extensive work based on images found on the Internet, re-appropriated and meticulously compiled by the hundreds to build complex, spellbinding works.
Curators : Françoise Poos & Vincent Crapon
Courtesy the artist and East Wing Gallery Doha
Exhibition design: Eric Schumacher
With the generous support of the Œuvre Nationale de Secours Grande-Duchesse Charlotte.
With the kind support of the Centre Mercure joint owners’ association.
As part of the Biennale 2024 Architectures - Esch Capitale Culturelle.
