Galerie Joseph in Paris is showcases this French photographer’s astonishing images of nature. Françoise Paviot, the curator of the exhibition and director of her eponymous gallery, speaks to us today about this exhibition.
We met Benjamin Deroche fairly recently, but our relationship has been so natural and our exchanges so lively that time has made no difference. We were very receptive to his approach, which falls within the scope of things we love: his demanding research goes beyond the anecdotal, makes no concessions to facile representation, and is characterized by steady determination that relies on genuine thought. His photographs have the capacity that we much appreciate for making the reality unreal, even as he holds it before our eyes, in order to allow us to see it differently. A gallery owner, who is not an artist, needs to be nourished and to find delight in the works presented by those he or she works with. “Good” photographs are arresting, memorable, give one pleasure and elicit conversation!
Benjamin Deroche lives and works in Brest, where he carries out his personal work. One of his recent exhibitions was called Un soupçon de réalité [A Hint of Reality]. This evocative title invites us to discover, with a few discreet signs, the invisible within ourselves and in the world. “Photography exists not for the moment but for the place and the feeling that accompanies it,” he writes. “When you look at a piece of work or a creation, if you don’t like it at all, you better leave. But if you feel something that resists you, something imperceptible and ineffable, if you don’t understand why it is that you like it, then you better stay.” Benjamin Deroche’s images are among those that keep us company in our daily work, make us energized, and fuel our desire to stay.
Françise Paviot
Françoise Paviot is the director of the Françoise Paviot Gallery in Paris.
Benjamin Deroche, Surnature
Galerie Joseph
236 rue Saint Martin
75003 Paris
France
