Paris Photo 2019: Sarah Conaway, Mélanie Schiff, Guy Bourdin

For its participation to Paris Photo, Louise Alexander Gallery is pleased to present a selection of historical photographs by Guy Bourdin in relationship to recent works by Melanie Schiff and Sarah Conaway, two American artists who, in different yet complementary contexts, have explored the secular theme of still life. These images celebrate the central role played by light which form the basis of their compositions and offer themselves as the preferred vector for material effects and texture revelation. Whether they are freed from light in order to materialise in shadow form or to nourish a figurative option forged around formal simplifications; light seems to mobilise an extended set of senses, exceeding the only visual sensory perception conferred by the optics. In his fashion and advertising images, Guy Bourdin creates a climate of mystery and incongruity by the informed use of strong light and saturated colours, shiny as lacquer. The "excessive" use of projecting light accentuates the graphic dynamism of his photographs, essentially based on multidimensional mirrors, duplication of a visage and repetition of the cropped body. For her nudes or images of prosaic objects which form the framework of contemporary vanities, Melanie Schiff mobilises lighting effects by virtue of their capacities to reveal an evanescent image that expresses itself as a memory. Working in the studio with a variety of small objects, Sarah Conaway transcends this miniature reality through nuanced luminism and the use of tightened framing, all testifying a radiant amplification.

Louise Alexander Gallery Founded 2007 in Paris, Louise Alexander Gallery is a contemporary art gallery present in Europe and the United States. With a gallery space in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, the gallery unfolds every summer in the famous architectural complex created by Aga Khan in the 1960s. The gallery expanded in 2019 with the opening of AF Projects in Los Angeles. The Gallery represents a group of internationally recognised artists, including Enrique Martínez Celaya, Barry X Ball, Folkert de Jong, Arik Levy and Marco Tirelli. It also features young and diverse artists, including Tavares Strachan, Sarah Conaway, Melanie Schiff, Jennie Jieun Lee, Ryan Mosley, Rosson Crow and Alexis Rockman. Louise Alexander Gallery has a reputation for presenting engaging exhibitions on the international art scene, creating new forms of dialogue in unexpected environments. The gallery exclusively represents Guy Bourdin's Estate and highlights more than 30 years of archives, through exhibitions of institutional quality.