In this month of photography, Paris is buzzing with cliché after cliché. Some are redundant, both in subject and aesthetic. Creation in its noblest sense is not always present. Boredom sometimes becomes obvious.
Alongside them, a few artists stand out. Jean Baptiste Sénégas is one of them. Present in two venues, the Lutetia and the Petit Endroit, he offers a very interesting alternative.
Noticed at the Photomed Festival in 2011, he deserves special attention. Jean-Luc Monterosso, director of the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, must surely have sensed the ineffability of his talent.
Armed with a 30X40 Napoleon III camera, he magnifies the technical capabilities of another era. He ventures into other lands, propelling his viewers into a very singular elsewhere. For this presentation, Le Regard Animal, he offers other perspectives. Far, far away from the usual animal representations, he allows himself a surprising freedom of tone. Freedom of tone, mastery of technique, his choices make an impact.
The confrontation with the animal side of us all, the unlikely alliance of man and beast, their clash, is revealed portrait by portrait at Lutetia. Each image tells the story of an encounter.
From shark hunters to mock bear tamers, from conquering children wrapped in fox stoles to pensive butterflies encased in Plexiglas, it’s up to each and every one of us to perceive the links that exist, whether from the angle of the hunt or pure coexistence.
Intense bonds exist and are revealed. Right of life, pre-emption of human beings over animals, …
At Au Petit Endroit, Les Natures Mortes sometimes incorporate a poetic notion, which is very perceptible in Merlan. Mako, or the capture of a great shark, is an animal study.
The ambrotypes are diverse, but beyond the coexistence of two species and the transcription of the animal universe, the omnipresence of nature shines through.
On view until November 30,
Lutetia, 45 BD Raspail, 75006 Paris
Le Petit Endroit, 14 rue Portefoin 75003 Paris
Cette publication est également disponible en : Français (French)
