Photography in All Letters at MEP
Marine Jean Michel
From June 10 to September 13, 2026, Maison Européenne de la Photographie (MEP) will present the exhibition Photography in All Letters in Paris celebrating the bicentenary of photography.
Photography in All Letters brings together works by 36 artists from the corporate collection of Neuflize OBC, as well as the MEP collections, the exhibition celebrates nearly thirty years of collaboration between the two institutions. In addition, it explores the many ways of seeing, thinking, and narrating the photographic image.
Exhibition Dialogues
Clothilde Morette, curator of Photography in All Letters, conceived this journey as a true alphabet book. Here, each letter echoes a specific theme. Each word brings together a selection of works entering into dialogue with one another. Through these correspondences, the artists explore different ways of perceiving, representing, and interpreting the photographic image.
Inspired by Ways of Seeing, John Berger’s critical essay on art and image-making, Photography in All Letters revisits the idea that “seeing comes before words”. In other words, we first perceive reality before giving it a name and meaning. The journey is built around this principle. Therefore, displacement and enigma prevail over any demonstrative logic. Each letter is thus accompanied by texts, quotations, and anecdotes. These elements illuminate the diversity of narratives carried by photography.
M for Museum
Photography in All Letters, highlights singular dialogues between the works. “A for Adolescence,” for instance, brings together the perspectives of Rineke Dijkstra, Yohanne Lamoulère, and Claudine Doury around youth. “D for Back” creates a dialogue between the visions of J.D. ’Okhai Ojeikere and Robert Mapplethorpe. Meanwhile, “M for Museum” gathers the perspectives of Martin Parr and Candida Höfer on the cultural world, all under the umbrella of photography.
Finally, Photography in All Letters concludes with more engaged themes such as “X for Forbidden” and “Z for Zeitgeist” (“the spirit of the time”). These are notably embodied through Nan Goldin’s intimate photograph. It is an example of how photography captures the essence of a moment.
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Marine has long been captivated by the world of fashion. From an early age, she immersed herself in fashion books, explored the history of influential designers, and closely followed runway shows. Fashion has always been an instinctive and natural part of her life.
For Marine, pursuing a career as an editor in the fashion press represents the perfect fusion of her two greatest passions: fashion and writing. It is a profession that allows her to combine creative expression with editorial storytelling within a single field.
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