Opening Passages: Photographers Respond to Chicago and Paris

Opening Passages is a multi-site exhibition bringing together recent photographic series by ten emergent French and American artists who engage with the dynamic social landscapes of Chicago and Paris, staging a cross-cultural reflection on contemporary life in two global cities. American artists include Marzena Abrahamik, Jonathan Michael Castillo, zakkiyyah najeebah dumas o’neal, Tonika Johnson, and Sasha Phyars-Burgess, while the French are Gilberto Guiza-Rojas, Karim Kal, Assia Labbas, Marion Poussier, and Rebecca Topakian.

“That story, which tells of contemporary life in Chicago and Paris, consists of countless individual narratives unfolding in real-time, which nevertheless share points of connection through parallel histories and the shared conditions of our global present” (Carl Fudlner, curator of the exhibition).

The unique approaches of the photographers consider the historic processes of urban redefinition taking place in both cities. Their photography, whether documentary or poetic, enables each artist to reflect with accuracy and subtlety the issues and identities specific to each city, as well as their differences, similarities, and the transformations at work.

The Chicago Cultural Center hosts the main exhibition, featuring series by all ten photographers. Three other venues and community spaces around the city―6018North, BUILD Chicago, and Experimental Station―host smaller installations, featuring other works by the photographers, chosen for their particular resonance with the neighborhoods in which these institutions are located and the communities they serve.

Through various events organized in the presence of the photographers (screenings, workshops, conversations) the exhibition aims to create the conditions for a transatlantic conversation among the artists, and to catalyze a fruitful exchange with the public. The exhibition aims to create the conditions for a transatlantic conversation between the artists and catalyze a fruitful exchange with the public. The exhibition focuses on stories from the margins, reflecting on urban divisions, cultural identity, immigrant experiences, the built environment, waterfronts and green spaces, forming a visual collage of life within these two global cities.

Opening Passages: Photographers Respond to Chicago and Paris is organized by Villa Albertine in Chicago, curated by Carl Fuldner in association with Pascal Beausse from the Centre national des arts plastiques and Clément Postec from the Ateliers Médicis. It is supported by the Terra Foundation for the American Arts, Albertine Foundation chapter in Chicago, the Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Chicago and the Institut Français.

Opening Passages is part of Art Design Chicago, a citywide collaboration initiated by the Terra Foundation that highlights the city’s artistic heritage and creative communities and Villa Albertine's City/Cité program that seeks to foster a multidisciplinary transatlantic conversation on urban issues. Pairing metropolitan areas from both countries, it brings together diverse stakeholders, including researchers, artists, architects, journalists, urban planners, community activists, culture professionals, and political leaders.