Marseille, France
Civilization Quelle époque!
February 24 - June 28, 2021

"Civilization - The Way We Live Now" presents the work of one hundred and ten photographers from all five continents. Bringing together young talents as well as renowned artists, this exhibition showcases more than 200 original prints by Massimo Vitali, Pieter Hugo, Lauren Greenfield, Wang Qingsong, Raphaël Dallaporta, Valérie Belin, Thomas Struth, Candida Höfer... Together, they draw a plural portrait of our time.

"Civilization - The Way We Live Now" concerns civilization as it is in the 21st century, from one end of the planet to the other, particularly in what unites us and what is shared collectively in a world where the values of individualism often dominate. It takes on a special significance as a reflection of the world before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Housing, work, leisure, transport, education, arts, science, technology... All over the world, photographers observe, record, interpret, and of course immortalise the world as it is. Thanks to their work, this unique exhibition offers a global vision of everything that makes up our “civilization” today.

Curators :
William Alexander Ewing, independent curator
Holly Roussell, independent curator

Mucem coordinator :
Hélia Paukner, curator, Contemporary Art department

Scenography :
Emilie Delanne and Amélie Lauret (Græphème)

Graphic design :
Cécilia Génard and Alma Gromard

Exhibition coproduced by the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography, Minneapolis/New York/Paris/Lausanne and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Korea, Seoul, in collaboration with the Mucem, Marseille.

The subtitle of the exhibition “What a time!” is inspired by the the title of the novel by Anthony Trollope, “The Way We Live Now” (1875) © Librairie Arthème Fayard 2010 for the French translation