Pierre Leguillon: can images write history?

French artist Pierre Leguillon will be leading a three-day workshop around amateur practices in photography and history writing.

Conceived as an “open” workshop that evolves through the artistic and research interests of its participants, can images write history? Will be largely practical, inviting participants to look at different forms of amateurs archives, from family albums to blogs. the first day will consist of discussions around methodologies, Leguillon’s own projects, as well as source materials chosen by the participants. On the second day, the workshop will take place at the Arab image foundation, where participants will work from a digital archive. The last day will be devoted to presentations and discussions around possible projects of images and history.

Pierre Leguillon is an artist who is known for transforming the slide-lecture format into an enlightening, poetic, and witty form of performance art. His “diaporamas”—slideshows composed of the artist’s snapshots—suggest, through juxtaposition, unexpected connections, and new classification systems. Leguillon also makes assemblages and dioramas exploring the work and careers of artists such as Diane Arbus, ad Reinhardt, George Ohr, and Jean Dubuffet. His work has been featured at institutions around the world, including at Moderna Museet (malmö, Sweden, 2010), mamco (Geneva, 2008), and artists space (New York, 2009). He recently took part in codex at CCA Wattis Institute for contemporary arts, San Francisco (2014), and in the last Carnegie International in Pittsburgh (2013). Wiels in Brussels will present a major exhibition of his work in January 2015. He is based in Brussels and teaches at head, Geneva.