The image which comes after. According to Fabien Marques, “we always arrive too late”. So why not arrive even later than that? And why not stop chasing events? His photographic body of work is anchored in a lengthy and historical timeline. The artist learned to take photographs in the strange context of army photography school. He then worked as a lab assistant developing aerial photographs of international conflicts, images that have since seeped into his practice. Ten years after the Sarajevo conflict, he reflects on the status of the image and documents his work in detail.
These images—whatever their treatment may be (dark room, silver-based, digital, scanned film)—are permeated with the story, and mostly news stories. This is the case with his series on the murder of soccer player Luciano Re Cecconi, who was killed while he pretended to rob a jewelry store in 1977. From the story, Fabien Marques assembled an installation of photographs, objects, postcards, and geometric figures of the game die. The artist opens photography to a whole new visual arts dimension.
Photography also structures the Re-conaissance (1914-1918) series, which is made up of archived images that have been copied and glued to a table. These military photos of Verdun were found in a box at Fort de Vincennes. Never thrown out, they now live on in a new form. In a time where the digital is so often thrown out, these documents are definite conversation starters.
His practice walks the tightrope between art photography and image material. A men’s daycare is the prime example. The photographs stem from his investigation into Saxony’s prostitution. Colored in a formal way, they nevertheless hide a harsh reality. It is Fabrice Marques’ discreet look, which ensures that these art documents are captured with just the right distancing

Léa Chauvel-Lévy, April 2018

Léa Chauvel-Lévy is an art critic, independent artistic curator and artistic residency director.