Lin Chuan-Chu, Earth Water Fire Air, 2012

There was something soothing about attending the opening of the 20 th edition of Paris Photo, one of my favourite art fairs. It was the day after… election day and everyone was groggy. Yet the calm and serenity of old and modern photographs helped. Beside the usual beautiful vintage photo booths, I discovered three remarkable photographers. Sacha Goldberger, a French Hungarian Jew (as he describes himself), Lin Chuan-Chu a Taiwanese buddhist and West African Omar Victor Diop, who is not new to the scene but showed a large work created in Africa with Pernod Ricard.

The dome of the Grand Palais was glittering

The Grand Palais was glittering in the sun and the 153 galleries showing there were happy to make it back to Paris after last year’s terrorist attacks at the Bataclan which had closed down Paris photo prematurely. I immediately found Karen Knorr’s Indian photos at Taster and at Eric Franck and Augusta Edwards gallery, who had a huge stand, her early black and white photographs of « Gentlemen » collected in a book recently published by Stanley/Barker publishers.

Taiwanese artist Lin Chian-Chu at the fair

I was impressed by Daniel Templon’s gallery showing glittering works by Pierre et Gilles and his American photographer Gregory Crewdson who was the talk of the fair.

Omar Victor Diop, Lillian Mutua, Assistant Analyst Finance Pernod Ricard Kenya

Pernod Ricard, the liquor group is heavily investing in Africa and they commissioned a series of portraits of their barmen and office managers all over the continent from Omar Victor Diop whose gallery Magnin-A showed a number of African photographers.
I was charmed by the buddhist serenity and beauty of Taiwanese artist, Lin Chuan-Chu whom I discovered by chance at Beyond Gallery who was attending the fair for the third time. This son of a rice farmer uses agricultural rituals in his concept of Earth Water Fire and Air land art. The prices are reasonable (5 500€ for a diptych) and he has a very different voice. It was nice to meet him enjoying a glass of Ruinart champagne at 4 pm in the afternoon !

Sacha Goldberger, Secret Eden Serie, 2016 shot in the communist party headquarters

The artist that struck me the most was Sacha Goldberger, a former advertising art director who shows a passion for America and whose sense of humor is overwhelming. He sets his characters in 18 th century salons or gardens, dresses them up and makes them do naughty erotic things. Some photographs were set in the French Communist party assembly room, others were in a 1960’s kitchen. He immediately acknowledges Edward Hopper’s influence on his art and he is quite fascinating. You can invent what you want from his suggestive pictures. It becomes “your fantasy” and “your” work of art. (School gallery Paris)

I came back elated from all this creativity and wit, something that the new President of the United States does not take into consideration, but which is well alive in Old Europe. There is a life after Trump…