February 25 - August 23, 2020
« Night photography involves long exposure times, and one of the effects of a long exposure is that, along with light, time becomes part of the equation. » Marie Bovo
It is often at dusk that Marie Bovo feels the urge to make time stand still. And not only because of the extremely long exposure time that her chosen technique (large-format, film, natural light) demands, but also so she can watch the slow passage of time unfold in intermediate spaces that are inhabited, despite being empty of people. The Nocturnes exhibition at the Fondation HCB includes an unprecedented selection of images taken by Marie Bovo at twilight, in Marseille and Africa.
This approach to time, illustrated by both photography and film, is based on a quiet, thoughtful observation, the politeness of her gaze, the appropriation of an imagined inner self perceived from the outside. Marie Bovo moves comfortably from photography to the moving image and her photographs, systematically presented in series to emphasize the passage of time, are always on the threshold of film-making. In these highly controlled visual images, one does not at first detect the humanism that underlies them.
It is commonplace for Marie Bovo to work on the threshold of intimacy, without being intrusive, in people’s homes or at night. It is her way of thwarting the camera’s aggressive tendencies and going discreetly with the flow of people’s lives.
The exhibition at the Fondation HCB presents 35 large format prints from 5 different series, as well as 2 films.
Exhibition curator : Agnès Sire, Artistic Director
The exhibition is produced in collaboration with the kamel mennour gallery and is accompanied by the publication of a book.
Born in 1967 in Alicante, Spain, Marie Bovo lives and works in Marseille. She is represented by the kamel mennour gallery in Paris. Marie Bovo was nominated for the Infinity Awards by the International Center of Photography in New York in 2016.
Her work has been the subject of many solo exhibitions in France, including at Les Rencontres d’Arles, the kamel mennour gallery in Paris, the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, the FRAC Provence Alpes-Côte d’Azur in Marseille and the Fondation Fernet-Branca in Saint-Louis. She has also exhibited abroad – at the OSL Contemporary Gallery in Norway, the California Museum of Photography and the Moscow Museum of Modern Art. These exhibitions have led to the publication of several books.
Her works have also been widely shown in group exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale in 2011, the Busan Biennale in South Korea in 2012, the Contemporary Art Biennale in Thessaloniki in 2013 and the Milan Triennale in 2014. Recently, she participated in the 29th Roesler Hotel exhibition in Sao Paulo in 2019.