Debi Cornwall deciphers the image as a tool for political analysis

About "Model Citizens"

"How do we make sense of life in a violent country? How do performances and fictions and playing roles help us either make sense of our violent culture or justify the violence or distract ourselves from it?"

Debi Cornwall (US, 1973), winner of the Prix Elysée 2023, one of the most prestigious photography prizes in the world, presents Model Citizens.

In this series, she explores how staging, performance and role-playing feed into the idea of citizenship in our Western societies. The photographic medium becomes a tool for political analysis.

The exhibition Debi Cornwall. Model Citizens is on view at Photo Elysée from June 30 to October 1, 2023.

Other articles

Homage to Monique Jacot

“I wanted to bear witness. Activism is linked to my journey as a woman. I have always been independent, self-reliant, active. I wanted to bear witness to the conditions of…

Article published on 04.02.2025

The Last Cibachrome

Created from an image in The Anonymous Project slide collection, which includes nearly a million anonymous images dating from 1940 to 2000, this print was produced on January 23, 2023,…

Article published on 11.01.2025