Paris Photo 2024 marked its 27th edition at the Grand Palais, bringing together 240 exhibitors from 34 countries, making it one of the most expansive and diverse gatherings in its history, and it was visibly seen. The Main sector featured 147 galleries, including 24 new entries debuting on the international stage, creating a fresh and hopeful preview of a new era of the photo festival. Notably, the event showcased a significant rise in women representation, with women photographers accounting for 38% of the exhibited artists, nearly doubling the figure from 2018. The Prismes section, set at the heart of the nave, highlighted large-scale works, photographic series, and dynamic installations, reinforcing Paris Photo's commitment to innovation and diversity in the art of photography.
We would like to spotlight four remarkable women photographers who made a powerful impression at Paris Photo 2024. Each of these artists brought unique perspectives and compelling narratives to the exhibition, making them standouts in this year's edition:
Mari Katayama
© ma, represented by Galerie SUZANNE TARASIEVE.
Mari Katayama is a Japanese multimedia artist renowned for her work in sculpture and photography. Her art explores themes of body image, identity, and her personal experience as an amputee. She is represented by Galerie SUZANNE TARASIEVE.
Sakiko Nomura
© Sakiko Nomura, represented by Galerie Echo 119
Sakiko Nomura is a Tokyo-based photographer who began her career in the 1990s, training under Nobuyoshi Araki. In this exhibition, she presents a new interpretation of her Black Darkness (Kuroyami) series, originally published in 2008, utilising the solarisation technique popularised by Man Ray.
Nomura's work often features her models posed in intimate hotel rooms, capturing an erotic tension that balances between desire and satisfaction. Her compositions seamlessly blend nudes with landscapes and still lifes, creating a distinctive, sensual narrative. A celebrated artist, Nomura received the New Figure Encouragement Prize at Photo City Sagamihara in 2013 and has published several acclaimed works, including Naked Time (1997), Black Darkness (2008), and Nude/A Room/Flowers (2012).
She is represented by Galerie Echo 119.
Maya Inès Touam
Maya Inès Touam, born in France to Algerian grandparents, brings a unique perspective as a granddaughter of immigrants, creating work that navigates the cultural and geographical divide of the Mediterranean. A 2013 graduate of the Beaux-Arts de Paris, her practice is both anthropological and poetic, employing various media such as photography, drawings, and sculpture, as well as personal and symbolic objects.
In 2017, she received an award from the Fondation Alliances in Morocco. During a 2021 residency at the Fondation H in France, she expanded her exploration to include African diasporas in France, offering a postcolonial view on themes of migration and identity. She is represented by Galeries Les Filles du Calvaire.
Hélène Amouzou
© Hélène Amouzou, represented by Galerie Carole Kvasnevski.
Hélène Amouzou, was born in Togo in 1969 and went into exile at the age of 23. She first moved to Germany, where she gave birth to her daughter, before settling in Belgium in October 1997. Her early years there were marked by struggle until she finally secured her residency permit in 2009 and became a Belgian citizen in 2015.
In 2004, Amouzou relocated to Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, where she began studying video and photography at the local Academy of Drawing and Visual Arts. Although she initially found self-portraiture challenging, she returned to the theme two years later, dedicating herself fully to it. Her preferred technique is analogue photography, primarily working in black and white.
Hélène is represented by Galerie Carole Kvasnevski.
These four artists exemplify the diversity and innovation of contemporary photography, offering powerful visual stories that resonate beyond the lens. It is both exciting and inspiring to witness Paris Photo's commitment to amplifying diverse voices within the field, particularly its growing support for female and non-binary photographers. We look forward to seeing how the fair continues to foster inclusivity and elevate underrepresented talent in the years to come.
