Ali Kazma loves books. For him these are made of flesh and blood, they are quotes of humanity, essentials. Hence Ali Kazma initiated in 2011 with the Take 5 publishing house, a project that led to more than 7,000 photographs related to books. Old, new, printed, manuscripted as well as libraries, people around them and tools used to make books were his subjects.

According to Régis Durand, "Ali Kazma buries himself in the rich depth of libraries as an archeologist and then brings back some specimens from there. This photographic collection seems perfectly adequate to his purpose - photography itself, in its process, is similar to a fragments recollection, without ever being this: the lost object will never be recovered, the encounter will never happen, and it will therefore always start or continue in an endless process. "

"Ali Kazma avoids the useless aim of making a complete series, allowing some kind of melancholy of the impossible. On the contrary, Kazma works as an archaeologist, carefully exploring a precise spot; or as a geologist by core drillings. Each sample, every square inch brought back elements that are carefully photographed. As any archaeologist, Kazma doesn’t aim at illustrating a particular story, just a few snippets – just hints about something coming from these literary works and time that is so elusive.The considerable archive already collected by Kazma cannot - yet - be shown in its totality. For this exhibition, the space itself led to the selection of photographs exhibited. With 2 floors, the gallery space invites us to go deeper and deeper into the exhibition. Here one can follow Kazma’s eyes.

Image: © Ali Kazma, Magda Danyz Gallery