Simon Njami

There are more and more festivals and biennales. It seems that every city, to increase its visibility on the global art scene, needs a cultural jamboree.

Simon Njami, Paris-based lecturer, art critic and curator, looks at the future of these cultural jamborees.

Says Simon: "Biennales, fairs and festivals are becoming boring.

The reflection on what could or should be a festival is on its way.

In the next São Paulo biennale, the main floor on Niemeyer’s building will be empty, as a statement and an invitation to reflect on the politics of showing art works.

The same inflation applies to the photographic field. All around the world, from India to China, Korea to Africa, a new event is created. What are all those festivals for, and are they really still dealing with photography? That is a question I am intending to try and answer.

My feeling, nevertheless, is that this race to sensation is going to come to an end. Due to economic factors, of course, but more importantly, because of the confusion that has been created.

I can imagine that festivals – those that want to survive the future - will have to focus on a very specific agenda. Perpignan is a good example.

When we go there, we know what to expect and why we want to be there.

One might argue on the selections and disagree with some choices, but this is part of the game.

There should even be, as it is the case of contemporary art museums, an organisation that groups all festival directors in order to build coherent strategies.

A festival is supposed to serve one purpose: the artist or more specifically, the photographer.

Lately, photographers have been no more than the main focus. They simply became a commodity to serve other interests. And on a more global level, if you look at the map, what we would call “important festivals” are all located in the West.

The non-western countries have started to react and we could see a slight change in the programming of major festivals, including regularly now images from other geographical areas.

I think that in the coming years, developing countries that have developed their own visual identity will start to play key roles in the global game. Not mimicking what already exists but as a new proposition.

New technologies, for instance, don’t have the space they deserve. They will revolutionize the field of photography and especially photojournalism, where they have brought tremendous change.

But it is still considered by festivals as a robotic tool. However, the notion of the image is no longer dictated by the old canons of the middle of the past century.

There will be a revolution. If you are still able to look at the classic exhibition print, that will remain a key element for any successful festival in the future.

We do, though, have to consider the new generations and their cultures. These are the ones who are going to shape the photographic landscape.

If we are too lazy to adapt our old views to a changing world, we’ll condemn photography, as it is still defined, to history. Dead and frozen."