Collections: open house

Obviously, this was bound to happen to us. More than two years wondering about photography, we were bound to come across the subject of the collection. To choose our files, we put all the themes that pass through our head on small pieces of paper in a jar, we mix and we ask the youngest to draw lots. We were trying to avoid the collection, but there, we had no choice, there was only one left. We had to stick to it. We started with those we like, the authors, these photographers who have things to express through their images. They often have a place of choice in private or public collections, such as those of the Maison Européenne de la Photographie or the Fonds National d'Art Contemporain, which opened their doors to us. And then, we rubbed shoulders with collectors before tackling the psychological aspect of the thing. But the real problem of the collection is that of meaning. What meaning do we give to a collection, as owners or viewers? Is it an artistic or mercantile act to collect? In the end, this theme wasn't so bad. Very nice, in fact. But we'll have to put some papers back in the jar. In this autumn issue, we tried to bring out little nuggets, like Stephan Vanfleteren's incredible work (yes, really) on Charleroi or Olivier Jobard and Samuel Gratacap's long term reports on the migratory phenomena started many years ago. We also have some in-depth papers, like the one on Arab photography, and very poetic portfolios such as the one by Juliette-Andrea Elie or the one by the South Korean artist Mi-Yeon.

The taste of authors: 10 photographers favorites

For six years now, the Fisheye teams have been defending an authors' policy - a notion inherited from the 7th art that critics and directors of the New Wave claimed loud and clear. Photographers are also authors, and we would like to pay tribute to them once again in an exceptional 60-page dossier that gives pride of place to the image. The ten artists we publish here have, for the most part, already found their place in our magazine, on our website, or on the walls of our gallery. We continue to follow their work and to support them, because they are the line of force of our activities. These are the women and men who, through their eyes, give us a different view of the world. They are the very material of these pages, and without their creativity and loyalty, we would not be here today.