On October 4, 2018, I delivered a conference paper entitled After the Myth of Freedom: Photographing the Shadow Society Post-’68 (Après le mythe de la liberté, photographier la société de l’ombre post-68) at the annual conference of the CERLI (Centre d’Études et de Recherche sur les Littératures de l’Imaginaire), held at the University of La Rochelleand organized by Danièle André, Annabel Audureau, and Élodie Chazalon.
This scholarly event examined figures of rebellion, dissent, and social resistance within speculative literature and the arts of the imagination. Bringing together researchers from a range of disciplines, the conference explored how artists and writers have shaped cultural representations of transgression, contestation, and alternative social imaginaries, highlighting the enduring relevance of these themes in contemporary critical discourse.
Article’s thumbnail: Screeshot of the presentation
Presentation reference:
Jessica Ragazzini, (October 4, 2018), Après le mythe de la liberté, photographier la société de l’ombre post-68 / After the Myth of Freedom: Photographing the Shadow Society Post-’68,
presentation on the works of Molinier, Strömholm, Witkin, and Mapplethorpe for the CERLI (Centre for the Study and Research on the Literatures of the Imaginary) conference Rebelles: figures et représentations de la contestation sociale dans les littératures de l’imaginaire at the University of La Rochelle, organized by Danièle André, Annabel Audureau, and Elodie Chazalon.
Rebels and Margins: A Photography of the Forbidden
My presentation focused on the photographic works of Pierre Molinier, Christer Strömholm, Joel-Peter Witkin, and Robert Mapplethorpe, artists who defied social and aesthetic norms by capturing marginal bodies, queer identities, fetishism, and the aesthetics of the strange.
Through their work, these photographers revealed a shadow society in the post-68 era, where ideals of sexual, political, and artistic freedom clashed with tensions and repression. Far from being mere testimony, their work acts as a distorted mirror of society, balancing fascination and provocation.
A Reflection on the Post-68 Legacy in Art
By questioning the tensions between freedom and censorship, between eroticism and subversion, this presentation highlighted the resistances and legacies of the protest movements of 1968 in the visual imaginary.
The analysis of these artists helped reveal how photography continues to disturb, unsettle, and challenge our relationship to the image and to norms.