Sometimes i actually see fun exhibitions

The title of this post is a nudge to an old friend i met by chance while i was on my way to the BIP, the International Biennale of Photography and the Visual Arts in Liege. I hadn’t seen him in ages and when i told him what my job was about, Didier looked at me in horror and said: “God! That must be soooo boring! Poor you!”

I’m sure he’s never going to read these lines, bless him, but that won’t stop me from carrying on with my miserable existence and turn my attention back to the BIP.

The precedent editions had the kind of politico-social theme i like so much. This year, the curators decided to take things lightly with a theme that revolves around love and a title like Only You Only Me. I’m not going to hold their choice against them. Given recent events and the number of beggars who stopped me in the streets, it’s obvious that the city is in dire need of amusement and kindness.

To my surprise, i had a fantastic time visiting the main exhibition at the MAMAC, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. I’ll probably come back to the whole exhibition with a long post. In the meantime, let’s just have a look at two photographers that made my Sunday.

Jean-Claude Delalande creates settings and scenarios that he inhabits with his partner, his son Valentin and his ever-deadpan expression.

In this bitter family album, the protagonists never look at each other, they perform the most mundane tasks, go on holiday with the same torpor that’d have on a supermarket trip, they iron, have showers, answer the phone and lead a joyless family life.

La lettre (The Letter), 2005

0Delalande_les courses, 2007.jpg Les courses (Shopping), 2007

La barque, 2004

0aDelalande_A la piscine, 2009.jpg

In another room was the photo story of Miyoko Ihara‘s grandmother Mrs Missao and her cat, Fukumaru.
From Miyoko Ihara’s statement:

“We’ll never be apart!” says the grandma to her little cat. Both of them live in a tiny world, with dignity, with mutual love. Still today, under the blue sky, Missao and Fukumaro work in the fields and in these natural surroundings, where they shine like the stars.

Miyoko Ihara, Missao & Fukumaru