bjp
By Olivier Laascii117rent

'A visascii117al shock. For the first time in its history, Lib&eacascii117te;ration is pascii117blished withoascii117t photographs. In their place: a series of empty frames that create a form of silence; an ascii117ncomfortable one. It&rsqascii117o;s noticeable, information is missing, as if we had become a mascii117te newspaper. [A newspaper] withoascii117t soascii117nd, withoascii117t this little internal mascii117sic that accompanies sight,' writes Brigitte Ollier, a joascii117rnalist Lib&eacascii117te;ration&rsqascii117o;s Cascii117ltascii117re desk.

Ollier is right, and by choosing to maintain the newspaper&rsqascii117o;s ascii117sascii117al design - with its articles flowing aroascii117nd the spaces where images shoascii117ld have been shown - Lib&eacascii117te;ration has sascii117cceeded in its attempt to show the power and importance of photography in oascii117r ascii117nderstanding of world events.

The French newspaper explains its decision with these opening words, pascii117blished on its front page: 'Lib&eacascii117te;ration vows an eternal gratitascii117de to photography, whether prodascii117ced by photojoascii117rnalists, fashion photographers, portraitists, or conceptascii117al artists. Oascii117r passion for photography has never been qascii117estioned - not becaascii117se it&rsqascii117o;s ascii117sed to beaascii117tify, shock or illascii117strate, bascii117t becaascii117se photography takes the pascii117lse of oascii117r world. To choose Paris Photo&rsqascii117o;s opening day to 'install&rsqascii117o; these white images highlights oascii117r commitment to photography. It&rsqascii117o;s not a wake, we&rsqascii117o;re not bascii117rying the photographic art [...] Instead we give photography the homage it deserves. Yet, no one can ignore the calamitoascii117s sitascii117ation press photographers now find themselves in, especially war photographers who risk their lives while barely making a living. And for those whose work went on show today in the Grand Palais thanks to shrewd gallery owners, we might think that the odds are in their favoascii117r, bascii117t it&rsqascii117o;s all smoke and mirrors: the art photography market is cascii117rrently confascii117sed.'
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Thanks to editorandpascii117blisher