De haut en bas Effacements, 1991-2008

Organized by Jean-Claude Lemagny 3 February - 4 April 2010 Every year the Maison Européenne de la Photographie gives carte blanche to Jean-Claude Lemagny, a major figure in the world of photography. This year, he presents the series entitled "Effacements" by Yousouf Wachill. The space we live in is full of images bathed in light. Our photographs intercept some of them, freezing them and offering them to our enduring gaze. The photographer uses his eye and his entire body to move through the space that stretches between the photosensitive material and the object he wishes to capture visually. This space is that of his freedom: between reality that offers itself up and the camera that records it, the photographer decides on the distance, the angle, and the direction of the light. But the photographer knows that this slice of intermediate space where his liberty roams is inhabited by potential images, some coming forward, others retreating, some growing and others vanishing. Yousouf Wachill wants to show this profusion of images that is usually forgotten. The photographed object, sharp and motionless, is just an anchor point whence springs the majestic or frenetic life of forms which, from the depths of the sky, move around in space. Faces come to meet us and overflow the strict limits of their volume. They express the feeling of radiating presence that comes from someone who is here. It is a well known fact that good portraitists are often not very good at remembering faces. This is because they have become used to scrutinizing facial structures for their own sake, whereas we recognize people thanks to the fleeting expressions that flash across their faces. satire and melancholy. Wachill has turned this situation on its head. He is interested in the aura of faces, in what emanates from them and continues to float in the air like the Cheshire Cat's smile. But this is not about psychology; these are forms which, however impalpable, still occupy space. It puts us in mind of those white or black clouds that drift lightly but contain tons of water and massive electrical charges. They blend together, drift apart, and sometimes form troubling faces in the sky. Jean-Claude Lemagny