4.4.–3.5.2026

Strategy of Gestures

Analog Practice Exhibition

Strategy of Gestures is a group exhibition at Photographic Gallery Hippolyte that aims to explore memory, bodies and history. The temporality of gestures, expressed through diverse materials, reminds us of the fragility of lives, much like the surface of a print that can disappear. The exhibition presents a series of tactile, handcrafted photographs, from silver gelatin and platinum-palladium prints to family images slowly dissolving in chemical baths. Through layered, material-driven processes, the works explore the body, its presence, and its traces, with the delicate gesture on soft paper suggesting an endless interplay of meanings. Each piece is created using analog methods, emphasizing the intimacy of touch and craft.

In the midst of contemporary life and digital noise, nurturing memories and slowing down is both a personal and political act. Analog processes, hand-made prints, and materials create space for reflection, presence, and connection. Memory is not merely an archive, but a living, breathing part of our identity, carrying traces of the past and enabling new experiences. Slowing down, making gestures, and engaging materially with hands-on processes are strategies of resistance against hate, exclusion, and neglect. They remind us that memory through craftsmanship is a powerful, tangible way to maintain a connection to ourselves, to each other, and to our times.

The exhibition’s nine artists were selected through an international open call:

Ali Uchida (JP)
Clara Franke (DE/NL)
Clare Samuel (UK/CA)
Hermione Russell (UK)
Joana Duarte (PT/NL)
Phoebe Kiely (UK)
Quinten Vermeulen (BE)
Shia Conlon (IE/FI)
Shou-An Chiang (TW/UK)

The exhibition is curated by Clément Beraud and Natalia Kopkina.

“In silver gelatin printing there is a freedom of gesture. You’re not subject to software or algorithms: you can truly manipulate the image, bring it to life with your hands, to treat it physically. It's this freedom, this possibility of experimentation, that appeals to a whole new generation. I wouldn't say the skills have disappeared, but they've become rarer. And these gestures, which must be relearned, aren’t just techniques: they also embody a relationship to time, a relationship to the image. Preserving these skills means nurturing them as a living cultural heritage.”

Michel Poivert - Professor of history of Photography at Sorbonne university, France.
France Culture, Le point culture: the resurgence of silver gelatin printing - 13th of November 2025

Clara Franke