Photopoetry

On the occasion of Paris Photo 2026, the Fondation Azzedine Alaïa and The1989 are pleased to host a unique panel discussion and presentation dedicated to Photopoetry, focusing on the acclaimed ongoing collaboration between Italian poet Gabriele Tinti and photographer Roger Ballen, followed by a concluding dialogue between the artist and Koto Bolofo, who has dedicated an issue of Bolovision magazine to Ballen.

The event follows the exhibition curated by David Solo at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London, which showcased the work of Tinti and Ballen alongside other seminal historical and contemporary pairings in the realm of photopoetry.The creative dialogue between Gabriele Tinti and Roger Ballen operates at the uncanny borderlands between life, death, and consciousness. Grounded in a shared fascination with suffering, memory, and the unseen, their joint work transforms the photographic negative and epigrammatic verse into a unified, transformative medium.

Moderated by David Solo, the event in Paris will trace the acclaimed trajectory of the Tinti–Ballen collaborations—including landmark joint publications such as "Hungry Ghosts" and "The Earth Will Come to Laugh and to Feast". In addition, the panel will highlight Roger Ballen’s latest autonomous solo project: a haunting visual interpretation and illustration of "Dante’s Inferno".

Gabriele Tinti is an Italian poet and writer. He has collaborated with major international institutions including the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Museum, LACMA, and the Capitoline Museums. His poems, which focus on death, suffering, and ancient myths, have been performed by renowned actors such as Willem Dafoe, Abel Ferrara, Kevin Spacey, Stephen Fry, Malcolm McDowell, and Franco Nero. In 2018, his ekphrastic project Ruins was awarded the Premio Montale.

Roger Ballen is one of the most important and original art photographers of the 21st century. Based in South Africa, his iconic work spans over five decades, evolving from documentary photography into a unique, experimental style combining painting, drawing, sculpture, and photography—a style widely known as Ballenesque. His work is held in the permanent collections of major museums worldwide, including the Centre Pompidou, and Tate Modern.

David Solo is a long time collector and champion of artists books and photobooks and for over 15 years has been exploring, collecting, presenting, and advocating the world of photopoetry. Based in Brooklyn, this independent writer, researcher, and patron also spends significant time in London and Boston and is actively involved with a number of photography and book institutions. He recently organized a photopoetry display and events at the V&A in London; co-organized Photo Poetry Surfaces as part of the Bristol Photo Festival; and co-founded and co-edits Book Art Review, a magazine of artists' book criticism.

Koto Bolofo is a celebrated fashion and fine art photographer and filmmaker, author of numerous acclaimed photographic monographs published by Steidl. Raised in Great Britain and based in France, his work regularly features in top international publications such as "Vogue", "Vanity Fair", and "Numéro". He is also the founder and creator of "Bolovision", a conceptual magazine through which he explores the vision and craft of leading contemporary masters.