Photoquai is a biennale photography exhibition founded in 2007 by the Quai Branly Museum to showcase ‘non-western’ photographers.
The term ‘non-western’ sounds vague, but these are mostly emerging photographers from countries that aren’t usually included in larger photo exhibitions.
The 2011 exhibition, held outdoors on the banks of the Seine, right across from the museum in the 16th arrondissement, ran between September and November last year, and I was lucky enough to have caught it while on vacation.

The photos are snapshots of the world; unique and intriguing, showcasing a world perhaps different from many at the exhibit.
I imagine the photographers are fascinating too; their photos are varied and moving, they tell complex tales of people and places in Africa, Asia, Australia, Eastern Europe and South America.
The photos connect you to these places and make you inquisitive…. It leaves you wanting to learn more about the people and places in the pictures.
Vibrant and beautifully shot, the exhibition felt impressive under the open sky.

AutoPotraits РH̩l̬n Amouzou / Togo
Hélèn took these self-portraits for an art school assignment, at a time when she was also seeking asylum in Belgium.

Waiting Little People – Sergey Loier / Russia
This set on orphans was my favourite of the exhibition; the pictures are beautiful, haunting and poignant.
It’s almost like a fairytale with the bit in the notes that all the children in the pictures found homes
I hope they are happy

Alter Gogo Getters – Andrew Esiebo – Nigeria
The Gogo Getters are a football team made up entirely of grandmothers

Adrián F. Milanès / Cuba

Spring Summer Collection 2018 – Hassan Hajjaj / Morroco
I loved these playful photos from Hassan Hajjaj

And the picture I didn’t take… is young Mack Magagane’s ‘I’ll Be Gone Soon,’ black and white pictures shot in Johannesburg which shed light on teen suicide in South Africa

The next Photoquai exhibition happens in 2013

 
I’ve already talked about my thing for cemeteries… and how I find them calming and centering.
So it probably wouldn’t come as a surprise that I went to the world’s most visited cemetery while in Paris last year.
Père Lachaise Cemetery is in the 20th arrondissement in the eastern part of the city, it was about a twenty-minute walk from our little apartment in the Haut Marais.
Pere Lachaise is evocatively beautiful, a place of soothing solitude, the ultimate resting place.
It’s laid out like a city; with its named cobblestone streets, and rolling hills, tall trees and house-like mausolea, with views of the Eiffel Tower.
Many famous people are buried here, Edith Paif, Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Mollière, etc, etc etc…
Colette’s grave was among the many I loved seeing; her life always intrigued me.
And many more interesting graves… like this

What becomes of the dream when the dream is over?

 
Is where I want to be…

~Vancouver~

~Paris~

 
It was at the top of Centre Pompidou where I first caught a good glimpse of Sacré-Cœur, there it stood, so imposing atop the mountain I knew I had to go there.
Alas, it was my last day in Paris and I wouldn’t get up that mountain till the next year.
I love old churches; and Sacré-Cœur is magnificent.
Splendid and totally chaotic on the outside with the best views of Paris, inside, it’s serene, beautiful and comforting.

Sacré-Cœur as I first saw it from Centre Pompidou

(This is the second in a series of posts on department stores in Paris, read the first here)

Of all the Parisian department stores, Le Bon Marché is by far my favourite.
It’s exactly how I imagined a Parisian shopping experience would be; beautiful architecture, fabulous design and layout, with excellent and well-selected collection of merchandise and attentive staff.
Often regarded as the ‘world’s first department store’ it opened circa 1830s on the Left Bank (Rive Gauche).
The store’s ambiance encourages luxurious leisure shopping, which is its advantage over the other department stores; Galeries Lafayette and Printemps. It’s never overcrowded and the staff is actually nice and helpful

A short 8 second clip

Bon Marché has everything – and I mean EVERYTHING!
From the best and fabulous designer clothes in mini boutiques to furniture from designers I’d only read about in books.
I could spend the whole day there and never get bored, I’d be just happy riding the those cool escalators all day…
I literally spent an hour browsing the bookshop and I can’t even read French!

And when I felt a little peckish I headed for Primo Piano, the indoor and terraced café with colourful décor and great food.
And then there’s La Grande Epicerie, a gourmet food emporium so epic and awesome it deserves it’s own post.

Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche
24, rue de Sèvres
75007 Paris
France
www.lebonmarche.com