The photography department of the Cna and the archivist and researcher Claire Lathuille together developed the concept for this exhibition project, which consists of two parts. The first highlights Luxembourg's photographic heritage, in particular the portrait. The second one envisions a confrontation and dialogue between portraits archived at the Cna and contemporary artistic photography.
The photography department of the CNA and the archivist and researcher Claire
Lathuille together developed the concept for this exhibition project, which consists
of two parts. The first highlights Luxembourg's photographic heritage, in particular
the portrait. Upon entering the archives, these images lose all claims to privacy.
They become public documents and henceforth their interest takes on a historical,
sociological, aesthetic and technical meaning. The maintenance, archiving and
exploitation of these images mean they undergo restoration and digitalisation
processes, become integrated in a database, are made available for research purposes
and can be included in publications and exhibitions, such as the present one held in
the context of the European Month of Photography.
The second part of the exhibition envisions a confrontation and dialogue between
portraits archived at the CNA and contemporary artistic photography using the same
genre of photographs as its subject. To achieve this, the CNA chose to team up with
the Dutch photographer Bertien van Manen and to exhibit her photography work
entitled Give Me Your Image. At the heart of this collection are portraits of
family, friends and famous faces, uncovered against a private and intimate backdrop.
Within defined frames and precise settings, Bertien van Manen allows us to discover
a universe of memories and emotions and to recognise their importance to all of our
daily lives.
Give Me Your Image is the outcome of a work commissioned by the Swiss Ministry of
Foreign Affairs on immigrants in the suburbs of Paris. Within a short space of time,
Bertien van Manen decided to expand the project. Between 2002 and 2005, she
travelled round Europe (Lithuania, Greece, Germany, Italy, Austria, France,
Bulgaria, Moldavia, etc.) to meet families and document how they display personal
photographs in their home environment. She found pictures stored in albums (which
she rearranged in the room with permission from the owners), hanging on walls,
displayed in showcases as well as amid all sorts of objects. In the homes of
immigrants, she was intrigued to see photographs evoking their home country, and in
others, excerpts from family histories, holiday memories and the worship of
political idols. Give Me Your Image thus became an intimate documentation of the
arrangement and display of portraits within domestic environments, while at the same
time accentuating traces of war, oppression, moments of happiness and sadness, or
the zest for life.
The portrait in the photography collections of the CNA. The archive images featured
in this exhibition were selected from the photography collections of the CNA. These
images, gleaned from private sources, are the work of both professional and amateur
photographers. The often classic portraits and intimate photographs bear witness to
the various supports and formats used, depending on the period of the creation of
these images and their intended purpose. Daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, prints, painted
photographs, featured in albums, on jewellery or on walls, all these memories of
close relatives and friends, strangers and celebrities, have formed a special
relationship of cohabitation with private individuals. As a result, prior to their
arrival at the CNA, these creations have all followed different paths. For this
exhibition, images have been selected from different collections of specific
interest according to origin. The final selection from these various collections was
carried out in collaboration with Bertien van Manen, the photographer and author of
the exhibited work. As a result, the CNA is able to accentuate and bring to light
its archives by showcasing them from a contemporary angle.
Opening: Wednesday october 11th 2006, 6pm
Centre national de l'audiovisuel - De'partement photographie
Boite postale 105 - Luxembourg
Tuesday - Sunday 10 am to 6 pm