Olivier Culmann, member of the Tendance Floue collective since 1996, will be guest of honour at the 2018 Bièvres International Photo Fair, supported by the town of Bièvres. He will be showing two of his emblematic series, Around, New York 2001-2002 and Watching TV. Born in Paris in 1970, Olivier Culmann explores, through his series, the issues of freedom and conditioning.

Around, New York 2001-2002 is a series produced after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The photographs taken after the event focus on the spectators, both Americans and tourists, who came to New York to witness the ruins of the World Trade Center. Their expressions, caught by the camera, serve as a mirror to our own consternation following the catastrophe.

Watching TV is also a reflection on the image. This series of photographs taken in Morocco, India and the United States deals with television viewers. It shows their state of mind and body as they face world events, filtered by the TV screen. This series represents a particular stage in the work of Olivier Culmann as he explores the viewer being viewed.

Olivier Culmann won the Niépce Award in 2017 for his lifetime achievement.

The two series will be exhibited from June 1 to 3 at the Grange aux fraises, 3 rue de Paris, and at the Maison des photographes et de l’image, rue de la Terrasse, both located in the Bièvres town centre, inside the fairgrounds.