As part of Europe's largest photo festival, the who's who of photography – from Seydou Keïta, Malick Sidibé to Brent Stirton, from Omar Victor Diop to Elliott Erwitt – presents fascinating imagery in a huge open-air gallery themed upon I LOVE AFRICA. 36 exhibitions with 2000 large-format photos, some of which up to 300 square meters in size, turn the gardens, alleyways and squares of Baden into a city of photography over a length of 4 kilometers for four months.
Public space becomes the stage for a synthesis of the arts, in which photographic art, horticulture and the landscape all come together. The festival’s energy is nurtured by two highlights: geography and the environment. The spotlight of the world’s most famous photographers is on a country, and in 2018, on a continent – where particularly images from African portrait studios tell about the dreams of people who live south of the Sahara.
On the other side, long-term reportages tell about the touching and surprising relationships between humans and animals. Paired with an artistic and photographic perspective of urgent environmental issues as well as the beauty of our world and existence, the festival stands for the search of humans for peace and a successful life.
This annual festival was created in 2004 by Jacques Rocher, the president of the Yves Rocher Foundation, and has not only become a hub for photographic art and photojournalism but is now also a yearly destination for around 400,000 visitors. Created on the initiative of photographer and publisher Lois Lammerhuber was the cooperation with Baden near Vienna.
The political charm of this double festival is just as evident in the position of the two communities. The village of La Gacilly is located near the Atlantic coast, on the former western edge of the world. The spa city of Baden near Vienna close to the former Iron Curtain is located on the eastern border of the free world.
The Festival 2018 also marks the beginning of an exclusive collaboration between La Gacilly and Baden. Alternating each year in summer, the photo festival takes place in La Gacilly and then in Baden. What is on display in France 2019, is presented in Baden in 2018. This rhythm goes on and on. That gives you the opportunity to marvel at the best photographers in the world – first in the west of the continent and then in the heart of Europe
A few highlights : For 18 July and the 100th Anniversary of NELSON MANDELA, there is a festival key note by Gisela Kayser, Artistic Director of the Willy-Brandt-Haus in Berlin, including a birthday party.
18 August : BRENT STIRTON: AUSROTTUNG/EXTINCTIONS / RICHARD LADKANI: THE IVORY GAME
In February 2017, Brent Stirton received the World Press Photo Award for his work on the smuggling of rinoceros horns. This recognition was nothing new for the South African photographer – who has received it now for the ninth time, unlike any other photographer.
Since 2008, Stirton documented the invisible war which has been bleeding out Africa and endangering the valuable population of wild animals on the continent for National Geographic. Director and cameraman Richard Ladkani, who has lived in Baden for the past year, was inspired by the photos by Stirton to realize the issue of ivory trade in a film documentary. Produced as a Netflix Original by Leonardo DiCaprio, Terra Mater Factual Studios and Paul Allen, Co-founder of Microsoft, THE IVORY GAME received multiple awards at internationa festivals and was shortlisted for the documentary film Oscar.
The entire program is available here (German: https://mailchi.mp/lagacilly-baden/festivalprogramm-929841 , English: http://mailchi.mp/lammerhuber.at/festivalprogramm-eng)
Appearing at Edition Lammerhuber is the festival catalog I LOVE AFRICA (German/English; 17 x 23 cm; 260 pages; softcover; 14.90 euros)
Festival La Gacilly-Baden Photo 8 June thru 30 September, 2018, Baden near Vienna