The 9th edition of the French Guiana Photography Festival has launched, featuring ten exhibitions that explore the innovative concept of "Florestania" - a movement that challenges traditional views of forests as mere geographical spaces. The festival, organized by the Maison de la Photographie Guyane-Amazonie (MAZ), presents a comprehensive artistic vision of humanity's relationship with forest environments.
Exhibition curator Ioana Mello provides a detailed explanation of the Florestania concept in her editorial statement. Developed in the late 1990s and theorized by Antonio Alves Leitão Neto, the Florestania movement combines the Portuguese words "floresta" (forest) and "cidadania" (citizenship). This philosophical approach calls for reconsidering forests not as simple geographical spaces, but as complete political subjects in their own right - a concept that resonates particularly well in French Guiana's unique environmental context.
The participating artists present their visions and narratives of a world where humans reclaim their sylvan heritage through photography. According to artistic director Karl Joseph, the MAZ, which organizes the biennial event, "aims to be a place open to creation, exchanges, and fertile crossroads between artists, researchers, curators, and audiences. It thus affirms a vision of photography inherited from a critical history, conceived as a tool for connection and shared hopes, not only in French Guiana, but also in the Caribbean, the Amazon, and beyond."
The festival features ten exhibitions distributed across three locations: Rémire-Montjoly, Cayenne, and Saint-Laurent. Photography enthusiasts can discover these exhibitions starting November 26th. Five of the exhibitions were conceived with invited guest curators, while three others emerged from creative residencies. The program also includes two individual exhibitions and two off-site exhibitions that were previously presented in Belém as part of COP 30.
The exhibition venues span multiple cultural sites across the region. In Rémire-Montjoly, visitors can explore displays at Fort Diamant, Sentier du Rorota, Place Publique, MCMG, and Sentier Loyola. Cayenne hosts exhibitions at Place des Palmistes and the Franconie Museum, while Saint-Laurent features displays at Camp de la Transplantation. This geographic distribution ensures broad accessibility for audiences throughout French Guiana and reinforces the festival's commitment to reaching diverse communities across the territory.
