Faces have fascinated us since the dawn of art. Institutions such as the National Portrait Gallery, London, are a testament to their enduring intrigue. We scrutinise portraits for secrets about the subject, the artist or society at large. Curator Phillip Prodger acknowledges the power of this genre in Face Time: A History of the Photographic Portrait: “it is human subjectivity, combined with photography’s unique optical and mechanical qualities, that makes portrait photography so special.” Contemporary luminaries of the genre include Dana Lixenberg, Vasantha Yogananthan, and Zanele Muholi. This summer, Portrait(s) returns for its annual celebration of face-focused photography. It’s ever-expanding list of standout creatives include the likes of Omar Victor Diop, Henrike Stahl and Dolorès Marat. Following the storming success of the 2023 edition – which saw nearly 47,7000 visitors flock to Vichy, France – this year’s showcase is at the Grand Établissement Thermal and features a programme packed with excellent solo and group exhibitions.
All eyes will be on British lens-based artist Nadav Kander, who opens the festival with a dazzling retrospective of his most films, iconic series, unpublished photographs and an installation. The London-based practitioner is famous for his portraits of major global figures, such as Barack Obama, Gillian Anderson, Usain Bolt, Rosamund Pike and Tracy Emin. Amongst the recognisable names in Solitary Portraits, are also a number of lesser-known individuals. In Teenagers, Near Lake Sugi, Mozambique (2003), the unnamed subjects try to hold in their laughs whilst one gives a cheeky at the the camera. In Vichy, visitors will get to experience the breadth of Kander’s multidisciplinary artist. Many of the pieces on display are never-before, highlighting the image-maker’s poetic sensitivity to emotions, expressions and subtle beauty.
Elsewhere, attendees will discover an exciting emerging artist: Arielle Bobb-Willis. The young American photographer was granted a residency at Vichy this year. In light of the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympic Games, she focuses on 25 professional and semi-professional athletes who are getting ready for the summer’s competitions. She studied them training across various disciplines – from swimming to sprinting – in the capital’s sports facilities. Her resulting collection is made up of hyper-charged pictures ttinged with a generous dose of offbeat humour. For instance, one shows the subject wearing five swimming goggles around his face – from forehead to chin. The accessory and saturated blues give the shot a playfully surreal quality. Bobb-Willis draws inspiration from this movement to form her own unique visual language.
How much can we glean from just someone’s face? As Prodger explains in Face Time, we are capable of both involuntary expressions and intentional body language. It’s difficult to read exactly what someone’s features are saying, but that ambiguity is also the element that provides room for us to express the complexity and depth of the human experience. Prodger explains: “to dig deeper, to understand what lies beneath the skin, requires the artist to search for thought and feeling.” Portrait(s) 2024 contains an extraordinary lineup of creatives who pay attention to more than what (or who) meets the eye.
Vichy Grand Établissement Thermal, Portrait(s) Vichy | Until 29 September
Words: Diana Bestwish Tetteh
Image Credits:
- Rosamund Pike II, Los Angeles, USA, 2014 © Nadav Kander. Courtesy Flowers & Howard Greenberg Gallery.
- Nicole, Espagne, 2020 © Nadav Kander. Courtesy Flowers & Howard Greenberg Gallery.
- Bécasse dans les mains de Nicole, Angleterre, 2024 © Nadav Kander. Courtesy Flowers & Howard Greenberg Gallery.
- Monument, Utah, USA, 1995. Série God’s Country © Nadav Kander. Courtesy Flowers & Howard Greenberg Gallery.
- Arielle Bobb-Willis – Production en résidence dans le cadre des Jeux Olympiques Paris 2024 – Corps à corps > Teva Sanchez, STAPS UCA Clermont- Ferrand, athlétisme © Arielle Bobb-Willis. Courtesy Galerie Les filles du calvaire, Paris.
- Arielle Bobb-Willis – Production en résidence dans le cadre des Jeux Olympiques Paris 2024 – Corps à corps > Louis Prades, Académie de natation Philippe Croizon de Vichy © Arielle Bobb-Willis. Courtesy Galerie Les filles du calvaire, Paris.
