Conference in cooperation with the MEP as part of Paris Photo 2024

On Saturday November 9, 2024, FOTO ARSENAL WIEN will organise the conference “Magnum. A World of Photography” about the working processes of the renowned photo agency Magnum Photos. This will take place at the MEP (Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris) as part of the world's largest photography fair Paris Photo.

Renowned photographers and Magnum members Martin Parr (UK), Bieke Depoorter (BE), Rafał Milach (PL) and Susan Meiselas (USA), together with international academics, will discuss fundamental questions about artistic archives; their strategies and methods behind them. The discussion partners are Simon Baker (MEP), Florian Ebner (Centre Pompidou), Felix Hoffmann (FOTO ARSENAL WIEN), Renée Mussai (independent curator, writer, scholar) and Sophie-Charlotte Opitz (Bucerius Kunst Forum).

Magnum, as a collective and picture agency, has been able to adapt to changes of society and technology over more than seven decades. Why was, and still is, this group so influential? How has Magnum adapted to changes in technology and methods of dissemination? What are the problems and related issues?

The conference serves as preparation for the opening exhibition of FOTO ARSENAL WIEN on March 21, 2025, which, using the example of Magnum Photos, has to do with distribution and archiving strategies. The exhibition will explore various processes - from the contact sheet to the archive.

Felix Hoffmann, FOTO ARSENALE WIEN Director will be on hand in Paris to share more with members of the media about plans for 2025 and for the launch of the new institution. Please enquire for more information.