Created in autumn 2023, the Vernacular Social Club is an association dedicated to promoting and disseminating vernacular documents. Its aim: to bring undocumented photographic archives to light and give them a platform both in France and internationally.
For the Club's first exhibition in France, La Chambre collaborates with three founding members of the association to explore the broad theme of family photography. Affaire de famille – Family Affair delves into the history of vernacular photography, taking us on a journey through the everyday lives of unknown individuals across the globe, seen through the lens of three collections.
Brought together for the first time are:
The collection of Lukas Birk, a photographer, researcher, and publisher renowned for his work in conflict-affected regions such as Afghanistan and Myanmar.
The collection of Jean-Marie Donat, an artist and iconophile publisher who has spent over 30 years building an extensive photographic corpus (over 40,000 photographs, Ektachromes, and negatives) offering a unique perspective on the 20th century.
The collection of Thomas Sauvin, a collector and artist whose Beijing Silvermine project gathers over a million anonymous photographs, reconstructing a significant part of the history of popular analogue photography in China.
The exhibition showcases period prints, negatives, ID photos, family portraits, mementos of bygone days, and records of societal events. These diverse and aesthetically varied ensembles compose and document a sweeping historical tapestry of family representation in both the East and the West. The term "family" is used here in its broadest sense: it encompasses alliances, societal depictions, and historical narratives. The power of these images lies in their marginal, sometimes paradoxical, or improvised nature. Moments of life often intended to remain within the private family circle are revealed here as memories to be preserved, forming an archaeology of a collective grand family narrative. Go to Website
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