2022 edition

 

Two years ago, as we resumed the art direction of our festival as a collective, we made the commitment to be ourselves. 

A polyphonic group such as a collective may seemed risky. But here, our voices are in harmony, each with its own frequency, and welcome each other. There are advantages to letting another guide you, putting your ego to one side and moving forward together, as we have done with our artists, partners and audience for now 12 years. 

The Fetart collective is made up of 10 curators who shamelessly assert their beliefs through a free artistic direction and an unwavering commitment to emergence. Our call for candidates is open to all young photographers in geographical Europe, without any imposed theme, with the simple and necessary aim to bear witness to their aspirations, dreams and concerns, to take the pulse. The topics are manifold, as are the forms and aesthetics. 

Each year, a breath of creativity comes our way and reveals trends. In this edition, some make use of the accumulation of images for investigation projects, taking history or representations apart to offer a liberating reading of them. Others explore their ethnic origins, multiculturalism and the impact of colonisation or migrations on identities and ways of life. Others still question the limits of science and technology, and the latter’s tendency to dehumanise bodies, animals and nature. These common interests and processes illustrate our society’s evolutions, of which artists are both observers and actors, broadening our perspectives and stimulating our conscience.

 Similarly, our focus on Armenia this year takes us a little further, and questions artistic territoriality. It celebrates what connects us to countries bordering Europe, which, despite the distance, are closely linked to us via history, culture and an unquestionable creative effervescence. 

Openness to others is the fundamental dynamic that has contributed to making Circulation(s) the major platform that it has become over the years. And we are delighted to see it grow and become more and more relevant. Delighted also that, with each edition, our artists have an intense, and above all humane, artistic and collective experience. Delighted, too, to remain the actresses of a European photographic scene with inclusive and solidary values – for this is what our world needs today!

For this 12th edition, after two years of confinement, we decided to treat ourselves and, we hope, you too to a surprise.

The Fetart collective wishes you a wonderful visit!