The 2022 edition of GESTE Paris Meta_Contra_Verse Exhibition
curated by Shiva Lynn Burgos, the founder of GESTE, Camille Gajate and Georg Bak.
October 28 – November 27, 2022
Single Image Winners: Bart Krozelek, Alvin Ng, Jurgis Peters and Adam Starr
Single Image Shortlist: Anna66 Andrzejewska, Cristobal Ascencio, B. Bogart, Polina S., Synchrodogs and Mouneb Taim
Video / Moving Image Winners: Benjamin Freedman and Claudia Fuggetti
Video / Moving Image Shortlist: Nero Cosmos, Marte Hodne Haugen, Flavia Souza, Alex Verhaest, Ernest Wu and Charlotte Yao
For this 6th edition of GESTE Paris the curatorial team seek shape-shifting avatars, intangibilities, NFTs and minted physical representations thereof, WEB 3.0, A.I. generated, digital and blockchain based works, the metaverse, and verse in general as a lyrical contra post to dialogue with historical art concepts of imaginary worlds.
The accomplished international jury will select six winning entries to be included in the exhibition open to the public from October through late November and online in conjunction with Paris Photo. GESTE Paris will purchase at least one work from the jury selection which will be added to the GESTE permanent art collection. All shortlisted artists will be included in a screen presentation which will be displayed during the exhibition. The jury will look for works which address the theme of the exhibition, Meta_Contra_Verse, in a striking and original manner with a strong interplay between process, form and content.
The Open Call section of the exhibition receives submissions from all over the world and provides an opportunity to showcase new artists’ work that has not received the exposure it deserves alongside established artists. Beyond the exhibition itself there is a program for artist, curator and expert led private tours talks and events which will take place throughout the month of the exhibition. This opportunity echoes the very purpose of Paris Photo week and beyond by participating in its abundance and legitimacy among collectors, artists and academics.
Concept: Meta_Contra_Verse
“The future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed.” William Gibson
GESTE Paris takes its inspiration from influential philosopher Vilém Flusser who described photography in terms of a philosophical action or gesture. Since his passing in 1991 the world of photography and image-making has expanded exponentially. Artificial intelligence is creating algorithmic hyper-interpretations, virtual and augmented reality let us explore worlds both real and simulated. Glitches in these systems are self-reflective and catalyse further creative opportunities.
What would Flusser say when confronted with these novel realities and potentials? How can we play within and alongside (meta) the machine rather than against it (contra)? How have the means shifted our future’s future vision of creation? How are fears attached to these transformational media? Why is it contra_versial? Is there space for everyone in this space? What does it look like? Feel like? Smell like? Where do these bubbles divert and connect artistically?
Shiva Lynn Burgos is the founder of Geste Paris. An internationally exhibited artist, collector and curator, she has had a longstanding involvement in experimental image-making, 360 VR, MR and blockchain as well as analog processes.
Independent curator and exhibition coordinator, Camille Gajate learned about the conservation of photographs and the appreciation of their artistic value within the archives of the Guimet Museum and the Old Photographs Archives in Nagasaki. After her master’s degree at INALCO and in the desire to disseminate the collections, she achieved a degree in Cultural Management and Exhibition Curatorship at IESA in 2016. Camille has worked for Kyotographie, Paris Photo and Photo Doc. In 2018, she became coordinator of the Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Foundation and consequently, in 2020, joined Emmanuelle de l’Ecotais for the creation of Photo Days. Concurrently, in 2019, Camille Gajate founded the international residency and annual open-air festival BZH PHOTO.
Georg Bak, Art Advisor & Curator, Crypto + Blockchain Art served in senior positions for Hauser & Wirth in Zurich and London and as an art advisor at LGT Bank in Zurich before running his own gallery SCHEUBLEIN + BAK in Zurich for seven years. He specialised in generative art and curated shows such as “Thinking in Algorithms”, “Against Photography” and “Perfect & Priceless. Value Systems on the Blockchain”. Bak currently advises digital art collectors and companies in the blockchain industry and is a strategic art advisor to 4ARTechnologies. He is also on the curatorial board of RARE Art Festival in New York, an advisor of MoCDA ( Museum of Contemporary Digital Art London), a board member of Art Identification Standard (AIS) and an independent curator of digital art exhibitions.
GESTE Paris 2022 Open Call Jury
Charlie Gepp leads an underground art practice under the alias Emil de Negroponte, AKA The Levantine. He is a former journalist, investment banker and entrepreneur who is deeply involved in the development of artists and art organizations in New York City. He is an International Board Member of Mariko Mori’s FAOU Foundation and a founding member of the recently created German Institute of Photography, an initiative of Andreas Gursky with a group of renowned German photographers. Charlie also leads a pro-bono coaching practice that supports the efforts of creatives looking to navigate their way to their goals. He is also an art accumulator with emerging storage concerns.
Josh Hanes is the President and CEO of Uplift Aerospace, a company pioneering advanced technologies for a multi-planetary economy that will revolutionize humanity’s connection with space and promote the conservation of Earth. One of their divisions, Space+, is increasing access and diversity in space as history’s first Web3 space program, integrating VR, AR and blockchain technology to increase access to space. Uplift Aerospace collaborates with NASA, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, Orbital Reef, Zero G, Sierra Space and others and is a pioneer in bringing artworks into space.
Sarah Hughes is a photographer, visual artist, photo editor, writer and producer, working in contemporary art, documentary, and breaking news. Currently a photo editor at The New York Times, she is also the founder of The Persona Project where she leads workshops and consults on projects related to Safe & Sexy, her global portrait and interview series on women, identity and public space.
Tariq Krim is an entrepreneur and technology writer and philosopher based in Paris who says he is working to make the internet a nicer place to live. Tariq is a frequent speaker at global technology and media conferences and summits and is one of the initiators of the Slow Web Movement. He has a strong interest in art, digital anthropology, and social change. A serial business founder, his companies include Netvibes, an early Web 2.0 company, Jolicloud, a cloud computing company, and Polite, a data self-sovereignty platform. He was appointed Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture in 2011.
Dominic Palfreyman is a financier, philanthropist and art collector based in London and Paris. His philanthropic initiative, The Felix Trust for Art has supported many art performances in conjunction with museums and art institutions. He is a co-founder of GESTE and has a long-standing relationship with The Whitechapel Gallery, London as a trustee board member.
Lexïng Zhang is an independent curator currently based between Mexico City and Paris working at the intersection of contemporary art and design. Zhang has been curating international exhibitions of global visual art and culture, in both an independent and institutional capacity, for numerous galleries and organizations. In 2010 she founded ART LEXÏNG in Miami, a creative agency and gallery space. The company has an international roster of artists and clients. Zhang is committed to fostering collaborations and dialogues on a global scale and she takes pride in connecting individuals from disparate cultural backgrounds with a focus on generating a positive social impact.
Pour cette 6ème édition de GESTE Paris, Meta_Contra_Verse, curaté par Shiva Lynn Burgos, Camille Gajate et Georg Bak, présente des œuvres numériques intangibles tels que des avatars en métamorphose, des NFTs, leurs représentations physiques et <forgées>, le WEB 3.0, l’art et le texte générés par l’Intelligence Artificielle, la blockchain, le métavers et le “vers” en général comme un contrepoint lyrique en dialogue avec la photo, la sculpture et le dessin, ainsi les représentations de mondes imaginaires dans l’histoire de l’art.
GESTE se déroule chaque année dans le cadre intime d’un appartement parisien classique réunissant une collection d’art privée avec des œuvres d’artistes sélectionnés.
GESTE Paris s’inspire de l’influent philosophe Vilém Flusser qui décrivait la photographie comme une action ou un geste philosophique. Depuis sa mort en 1991, le monde de la photographie et de la création d’images s’est développé de manière exponentielle. L’IA crée des hyper-interprétations algorithmiques, la réalité virtuelle et augmentée nous permet d’explorer des mondes à la fois réels et simulés. Les dysfonctionnements de ces systèmes sont une source d’autoréflexion et catalysent de nouvelles opportunités créatives.
Que dirait Flusser face à ces nouvelles réalités et potentiels? Comment on peut jouer à l’intérieur et à côté (méta) de la machine plutôt que contre elle (contra)? Comment les moyens ont-ils modifié la vision de la création de notre avenir ? Comment les peurs sont-elles attachées à ces moyens de transformation ? Pourquoi est-ce contra_versé? Y a-t-il de la place pour tout le monde dans cet espace? A quoi ressemble-t-il Peut-on le toucher? Que sent-il? Où ces bulles dévient-elles et se connectent-elles artistiquement ?