Photographers Respond to Chicago and Paris

Curator: Carl Fuldner

Associate curators: Pascal Beausse (Cnap) and Clément Postec (Ateliers Médicis)

Opening Passages is a photographic exhibition bringing together the perspectives of ten emerging French and American artists whose works explore the dynamic social landscapes of Chicago and Paris. The unique approaches of the photographers highlight the historic processes of urban redefinition taking place in both cities with subtlety and accuracy.

The exhibition offers reflections on urban divisions, cultural identity, immigrant experiences, waterfronts and green spaces, and the built environment, centering stories from the margins and forming a visual collage of life within these two global cities.

In addition to the main exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Center, three other venues and community spaces around the city―6018|North, BUILD Chicago, and Experimental Station ―host smaller installations, featuring additional works by the photographers selected for their resonance with the neighborhoods in which these institutions are located.

Additional events aim to foster greater transatlantic dialogues among the artists and fruitful exchanges with the public.

Opening Passages is part of Art Design Chicago, a citywide collaboration initiated by the Terra Foundation that highlights the city's artistic heritage and creative communities and Villa Albertine's City/Cité program that seeks to foster a multidisciplinary transatlantic conversation on urban issues. Pairing metropolitan areas from both countries, it brings together diverse stakeholders, including researchers, artists, architects, journalists, urban planners, community activists, culture professionals, and political leaders.

All works featured in this exhibition were supported through one of several artistic grants. Gilberto Güiza-Rojas, Karim Kal, Assia Labbas, Marion Poussier, and Rebecca Topakian were laureates of a photographic commission Regards du Grand Paris, launched in 2016 by the French Ministry of Culture and managed by the Ateliers Médicis, in collaboration with the Centre national des arts plastiques (Cnap). Marzena Abrahamik, Jonathan Michael Castillo and zakkiyyah najeebah dumas-o'neal each received creative grants as part of "Chicagoland Scene," an open call initiated by Villa Albertine. Thanks to the Ateliers Médicis, Sasha Phyars-Burgess was awarded a residency in Clichy-sous-Bois/Monfermeil at Ateliers Médicis in 2022, and Tonika Lewis Johnson became the first American recipient of Regards du Grand Paris in 2023.

Since 2021, the Paris-Chicago dialogue has been flourishing under the umbrella of Clichycago: a platform for community-based cultural exchange and artistic experimentation, with the support of the Ateliers Médicis in Clichy-sous-Bois / Montfermeil (France) and Villa Albertine in Chicago.

WHERE
Chicago | Multiple locations

WHEN
May 4 - August 25, 2024

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