From 2005 to 2009, French born photographer Martine Fougeron aimed her curious camera at her two adolescent sons. For four years, this New York City resident captured the fleeting moments of their coming of age, focusing on the delicate balance between youth and maturity, innocence and awareness. Her intimate perspective brings a new dimension to the private life of teenage boys and is the power behind her latest project, “Tête à Tête: Intimate Portraits of Two Adolescent Sons”.
Begun in the fall of 2005, the work is subdivided into seven sub-series, both chronological and thematic, capturing different states of consciousness and of rites of passages. The final Tête-à-Tête Series VII “After Prom” focuses on the American tradition of the teenage ball, the Prom. Fougeron followed her sons in the hours and days following this wild experience, capturing the moment. The images are sharp, crispy, sophisticated, and highly representative of this wild and intimate experience.
Taking inspiration from Dutch painting, especially the lighting techniques of Vermeer, Fougeron walks a fine line between documenting her family life and dispassionately observing, on the other. This widely acclaimed visual diary of her sons’ daily domestic life has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions. Fougeron is the recipient of such prestigious awards as American Photo’s 13 Emerging Artists in 2008 and in PDN’s 30’s in 2009.
Fougeron has a background in the Fragrance and Luxury Industry where she was the Creative Director for a team of 20 world-class master perfumers. Her commissioned work includes projects for the Pitti Imagine Image Campaign, Marilyn Magazine, and The Invisible Dog Factory. She is also a contributing photographer to the New York Times Magazine.
Martine Fougeron website
http://www.martinefougeron.com/
