Curator Francisco Medail
In the context of its 20th anniversary, Pinta BAphoto presents Jaime Bolotinsky as the 2024 tribute artist. Bolotinsky, a Russian photographer who emigrated to Argentina, developed his body of work during the first half of the 20th century.
With a strong interest in the sculptural possibilities of light, Bolotinsky created Fotoplástica around 1933, a series of photographs in which he brought fictional characters to life through the malleability of everyday objects and the use of lighting as a chisel. Fotoplástica had extensive coverage in the print media of the time, an unusual achievement that positions Bolotinsky as a pioneer of artistic photography in the country. Moreover, the technical skill and imaginative repertoire of his works make Fotoplástica a unique precedent in the relationship between photography and surrealism in the region.
Among the artists honored in different editions were: George Friedman (2015), Juan Di Sandro (2016), Frans van Riel (2017), Pepe Fernández (2018), Pedro Otero (2019), Foto Estudio Luisita (2020), Lucrecia Plat (2021), Sara Facio (2022), and Boleslaw Senderowicz (2023).
Francisco Medail (Entre Ríos, 1991) is an artist and curator specialized in photography. He holds a degree in Cultural Management (UNDAV) and is a candidate for a master's degree in Argentine and Latin American Art History (UNSAM). He has had solo exhibitions in museums and galleries in Argentina and artistic residencies in Paris (Cité Internationale des Arts, 2018) and Sao Paulo (Fonte, 2018). His work is part of public and private collections, including the National Museum of Fine Arts, the Emilio Caraffa Provincial Museum, the Larivière Foundation and the Getty Research Institute. Between 2015 and 2020 he was artistic director of the BAphoto art fair. He currently directs Pretéritos Imperfectos, a collection of theoretical books on Argentine photography, and serves as curator at the Centro Cultural Kirchner. He lives and works in Buenos Aires, his work is represented by Rolf Art gallery.